Teófilo Herrera

Abundance and diversity of microfungi in three coastal beaches of Mexico

The abundance and diversity of species of microfungi was investigated on the beaches of Delfines, Km 24 Veracruz-Alvarado Highway, and El Coco, located on the coasts of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean, respectively. On each beach a sample composed of sand, subtidal wood or washed-up detritus with moist sand was collected. The samples were analyzed by three different methods, resulting in a total of 1,160 occurrences that fluctuated between 340 and 441 occurrences/sample. The number of species/sample fluctuated between 20 and 32. A total of 52 species was found, of which 12 were marine, and 40 nomarine, of terrestrial origin, and of these 15 were ascomycetes, 34 were hyphomycetes, 2 were blastomycetes and one was a coelomycete. The abundance distribution showed few species with high or low values, with the greates proportion having intermediate values. In order to compare species diversity among the samples frequency curves were utilized, based on the number of species expected from samples taken at random; the results showed that the beach at El Coco was richest in species.

Fungi colonizing hair-baits from three coastal beaches of Mexico

The abundance of hair-bait colonizing fungi was investigated on the beaches of Caracoles, Mocambo, and lcacos, located on the coasts of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean, respectively. On each beach a sample of sandy soil was collected. The samples were analyzed by two selective isolation methods for keratinophilic fungi resulting in a total of 544 occurrences. A total of 17 species was found, of which 4 were ascomycetes and 13 hyphomycetes.Gymnascella dankaliensis andAspergillus terreus were the most abundant.Arthroderma curreyi andChrysosporium tropicum were found in low percentages in this survey. From the three beaches sampled, Icacos beach, on the Pacific Ocean coast had the highest number of isolated species.

Contribution to the taxonomy of Bovista in Mexico

Specimens of the genus Bovista from eight Mexican herbaria (CESUES, ENCB, FCME, HEMIM, IBUG, IZTA, MEXU, XAL) were examined and studied, and fifteen taxa were identified: Bovista aestivalis, B. brunnea, B. dermoxantha, B. dominicensis, B. fusca, B. grandipora, B. graveolens, B. heterocapilla, B. leucoderma, B. oblongispora var. longispora, B. oblongispora var. oblongispora, B. plumbea, B. pusilla, B. sempervirentium, and B. tomentosa. The new information obtained indicates a wider distribution for B. aestivalis, B. dermoxantha, B. fusca, B. graveolens, B. leucoderma, B. oblongispora var. longispora, B. pusilla, and B. tomentosa. New records for the Mexican mycobiota are: B. dominicensis, B. grandipora, B. heterocapilla, B. oblongispora var. oblongispora, and B. sempervirentium.