Brian A. Perry

Evidence that a single bioluminescent system is shared by all known bioluminescent fungal lineages

Since the early 20th century, many researchers have attempted to determine how fungi are able to emit light. The first successful experiment was obtained using the classical luciferin-luciferase test that consists of mixing under controlled conditions hot (substrate/luciferin) and cold (enzyme/luciferase) water extracts prepared from bioluminescent fungi. Failures by other researchers to reproduce those experiments using different species of fungi lead to the hypothesis of a non-enzymatic luminescent pathway. Only recently, the involvement of a luciferase in this system was proven, thus confirming its enzymatic nature. Of the 100,000 described species in Kingdom Fungi, only 71 species are known to be luminescent and they are distributed unevenly amongst four distantly related lineages. The question we address is whether the mechanism of bioluminescence is the same in all four evolutionary lineages suggesting a single origin of luminescence in the Fungi, or whether each lineage has a unique mechanism for light emission implying independent origins. We prepared hot and cold extracts of numerous species representing the four bioluminescent fungal lineages and performed cross-reactions (luciferin × luciferase) in all possible combinations using closely related non-luminescent species as controls. All cross-reactions with extracts from luminescent species yielded positive results, independent of lineage, whereas no light was emitted in cross-reactions with extracts from non-luminescent species. These results support the hypothesis that all four lineages of luminescent fungi share the same type of luciferin and luciferase, that there is a single luminescent mechanism in the Fungi, and that fungal luciferin is not a ubiquitous molecule in fungal metabolism.

A phylogeny of the highly diverse cup-fungus family Pyronemataceae (Pezizomycetes, Ascomycota) clarifies relationships and evolution of selected life history traits

Pyronemataceae is the largest and most heterogeneous family of Pezizomycetes. It is morphologically and ecologically highly diverse, comprising saprobic, ectomycorrhizal, bryosymbiotic and parasitic species, occurring in a broad range of habitats (on soil, burnt ground, debris, wood, dung and inside living bryophytes, plants and lichens). To assess the monophyly of Pyronemataceae and provide a phylogenetic hypothesis of the group, we compiled a four-gene dataset including one nuclear ribosomal and three protein-coding genes for 132 distinct Pezizomycetes species (4437 nucleotides with all markers available for 80% of the total 142 included taxa). This is the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Pyronemataceae, and Pezizomycetes, to date. Three hundred ninety-four new sequences were generated during this project, with the following numbers for each gene: RPB1 (124), RPB2 (99), EF-1α (120) and LSU rDNA (51). The dataset includes 93 unique species from 40 genera of Pyronemataceae, and 34 species from 25 genera representing an additional 12 families of the class. Parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses suggest that Pyronemataceae is paraphyletic due to the nesting of both Ascodesmidaceae and Glaziellaceae within the family. Four lineages with taxa currently classified in the family, the Boubovia, Geopyxis, Pseudombrophila and Pulvinula lineages, form a monophyletic group with Ascodesmidaceae and Glaziellaceae. We advocate the exclusion of these four lineages in order to recognize a monophyletic Pyronemataceae. The genus Coprotus (Thelebolales, Leotiomycetes) is shown to belong to Pezizomycetes, forming a strongly supported monophyletic group with Boubovia. Ten strongly supported lineages are identified within Pyronemataceae s. str. Of these, the Pyropyxis and Otidea lineages are identified as successive sister lineages to the rest of Pyronemataceae s. str. The highly reduced (gymnohymenial) Monascella is shown to belong to Pezizomycetes and is for the first time suggested to be closely related to the cleistothecial Warcupia, as a sister group to the primarily apothecial Otidea. None of the lineages of pyronemataceous taxa identified here correspond to previous families or subfamily classifications. Ancestral character state reconstructions (ASR) using a Bayesian approach support that the ancestors of Pezizomycetes and Pyronemataceae were soil inhabiting and saprobic. Ectomycorrhizae have arisen within both lineages A, B and C of Pezizomycetes and are suggested to have evolved independently seven to eight times within Pyronemataceae s. l., whereas an obligate bryosymbiotic lifestyle has arisen only twice. No reversals to a free-living, saprobic lifestyle have happened from symbiotic or parasitic Pyronemataceae. Specializations to various substrates (e.g. burnt ground and dung) are suggested to have occurred several times in mainly saprobic lineages. Although carotenoids in the apothecia are shown to have arisen at least four times in Pezizomycetes, the ancestor of Pyronemataceae s. str., excluding the Pyropyxis and Otidea lineages, most likely produced carotenoids, which were then subsequently lost in some clades (- and possibly gained again). Excipular hairs were found with a high probability to be absent from apothecia in the deepest nodes of Pezizomycetes and in the ancestor of Pyronemataceae s. str. True hairs are restricted to the core group of Pyronemataceae s. str., but are also found in Lasiobolus (Ascodesmidaceae), the Pseudombrophila lineage and the clade of Chorioactidaceae, Sarcoscyphaceae and Sarcosomataceae. The number of gains and losses of true hairs within Pyronemataceae s. str., however, remains uncertain. The ASR of ascospore guttulation under binary coding (present or absent) indicates that this character is fast evolving and prone to shifts.

Luminescent Mycena: new and noteworthy species

Seven species of Mycena are reported as luminescent, representing specimens collected in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan (Bonin Islands), Malaysia (Borneo) and Puerto Rico. Four of them represent new species (Mycena luxaeterna, M. luxarboricola, M. luxperpetua, M. silvaelucens) and three represent new reports of luminescence in previously described species (M. aff. abieticola, M. aspratilis, M. margarita). Mycena subepipterygia is synonymized with M. margarita, and M. chlorinosma is proposed as a possible synonym. Comprehensive descriptions, illustrations, photographs and comparisons with phenetically similar species are provided. A redescription of M. chlorophos, based on analyses of type specimens and recently collected topotypical material, is provided. The addition of these seven new or newly reported luminescent species of Mycena brings the total to 71 known bioluminescent species of fungi.

A monograph of Micropsalliota in Northern Thailand based on morphological and molecular data

Using a combination of morphological and molecular data, the genus Micropsalliota is shown to represent a monophyletic lineage in the Agaricaceae sister to Hymenagaricus. Features that distinguish the genus from Agaricus and allied genera include usually small, gracile basidiomes with a membranous partial veil, dextrinoid basidiospores with an apically thickened endosporium and lack of a germ pore, capitate or subcapitate, conspicuous cheilocystidia, and incrusted pileipellis hyphae that turn green in ammonia solution. We provide a monographic treatment of 23 taxa of Micropsalliota from Northern Thailand, of which 13 taxa represent new distribution reports for Thailand and 10 represent new taxa, including M. allantoidea, M. bifida, M. furfuracea, M. lateritia var. vinaceipes, M. megarubescens, M. megaspora, M. pusillissima, M. rubrobrunnescens var. rubrobrunnescens, M. rubrobrunnescens var. tibiicystis, and M. suthepensis. Included in this monograph are comprehensive descriptions, illustrations of micromorphological features, photographs of basidiomes, comparisons with allied species, phylogenetic trees inferring relationships amongst Thai species based on nrITS and nrLSU sequence datasets, and a key to aid in diagnosis.

Neonothopanus gardneri: a new combination for a bioluminescent agaric from Brazil.

The bioluminescent agaric, Agaricus gardneri Berk., was rediscovered recently in central Brazil. The new combination, Neonothopanus gardneri, is proposed for this long-forgotten taxon supported by morphological and molecular data.

Cryptomarasmius gen. nov. established in the Physalacriaceae to accommodate members of Marasmius section Hygrometrici

Phylogenetic placement of the infrageneric section Hygrometrici (genus Marasmius sensu stricto) in prior molecular phylogenetic studies have been unresolved and problematical. Molecular analyses based on newly generated ribosomal nuc-LSU and 5.8S sequences resolve members of section Hygrometrici to the family Physalacriaceae. The new genus Cryptomarasmius is proposed to accommodate members of Marasmius section Hygrometrici. Fourteen species belonging to section Hygrometrici whose available type specimens bear morphological features corresponding to the new genus are formally combined in Cryptomarasmius. Taxonomic transfers are made only for taxa in which type specimens have been studied and/or representative material sequenced. Although other species placed in section Hygrometrici may belong in Cryptomarasmius, further transfers are not proposed until additional studies on type material are conducted.

A new species of Phallus from São Tomé, Africa.

A new lignicolous species of phalloid fungi, discovered recently on the western African island of São Tomé, is described as Phallus drewesii. A comprehensive description, photographs and comparison with phenetically similar species are provided.