Kasun Thambugala

• PhD Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand; BSc University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
• University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Introduction Over the past three decades, dengue disease incidence has significantly increased worldwide, creating serious public health concerns. The principal mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, exhibits resistance to commonly used insecticides, reducing the efficacy of vector control measures. Thus, the necessity for alternate strategies is critical...

Fungal endophytes are an endosymbiotic group of fungi that live asymptomatically in healthy tissues of plants and macroalgae. Due to their ability to produce bioactive compounds with potential antifungal properties, fungal endophytes that inhabit seaweed have gained significant attention in the search for sustainable biocontrol agents against phyto...

This study explores the potential of indigenous non-Saccharomyces yeasts isolated from Vitis vinifera L. grape skins to improve the quality of regional wines by enhancing their physicochemical and sensory characteristics. Five promising yeast strains were identified at different stages of fermentation: Hanseniaspora opuntiae (J1Y-T1), H. guilliermo...

With the simultaneous growth in interest from the mycological community to discover fungal species and classify them, there is also an important need to assemble all taxonomic information onto common platforms. Fungal classification is facing a rapidly evolving landscape and organizing genera into an appropriate taxonomic hierarchy is central to be...

Macrocybe is a well-studied genus in the family Callistosporiaceae (Basidiomycota). Currently, the genus comprises eight species with worldwide distribution. All species in this genus are relatively large compared to other edible mushrooms and are commonly consumed by locals. Cultivation methodologies have been developed for several species of the...

A study in Colombo, Sri Lanka, investigated the effects of biocides on mold growth in a government hospital. The study found that Dettol and TCL powder were the most effective biocides in treating the common mold species Cladosporium sp., Penicillium sp., and Aspergillus sp., which are commonly found in the hospital. The study also found that both...

Melanommataceous species exhibit high diversity with a cosmopolitan distribution worldwide and show a prominent saprobic lifestyle. In this study, we explored five saprobic species collected from plant litter substrates from terrestrial habitats in China and Thailand. A combination of morphological characteristics and multi-locus phylogenetic analy...

This study explores the intriguing regional disparities in the characteristics of green dwarf tender coconut water (Cocos nucifera L. var. nana) in Sri Lanka. Physicochemical parameters of coconut water subjected to a comprehensive analysis following standard AOAC methods. The prevalent sugar types in the samples were identified as fructose and glu...

Human fungal diseases are infections caused by any fungus that invades human tissues, causing superficial, subcutaneous, or systemic diseases. Fungal infections that enter various human tissues and organs pose a significant threat to millions of individuals with weakened immune systems globally. Over recent decades, the reported cases of invasive f...

With the increasing world population, identifying additional food sources is crucial. Mushrooms have long been considered a nutraceutical and are consumed globally, including in Sri Lanka. Due to its abundant biodiversity, there is a significant potential for diverse wild edible mushrooms in Sri Lanka. However, the identification of these mushrooms...

Metarhizium, a globally distributed genus, showcases adaptability to various habitats, predominantly in soil or intricate relationships as insect pathogens. Metarhizium spp. have become focal points in recent entomopathogenic fungal research due to their limited host range, safety profile, environmental friendliness, and scalability in mass product...

Quorum sensing (QS) is an intercellular communication process in which wine microbial consortium collectively adapts their metabolism by secreting quorum sensing molecules (QSM) into their environment. These QSMs continuously diffuse into the medium until approaching the threshold level, which stimulates the microbial cell population. Moreover, the...

Polypores, a diverse group of macrofungi belonging to Basidiomycota, are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. In this study, four polyporoid specimens were collected in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. Based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS and nLSU sequence data, along with morphological characteristics, t...

has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years to maintain vivacity and longevity. This group of fungi can cause root and butt rot diseases on many woody plants and species show a cosmopolitan distribution. Ganoderma is a species-rich genus, and many members are found in subtropical and tropical regions. Ganoderma species are...

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released from vehicular emissions and oil refineries deposit on the phyllosphere, compromising the quality of leaf-based food products by posing many health issues. Nevertheless, the tea phyllosphere harbours a variety of endophytes that are highly effective at degrading polyaromatic hydrocarbons, anthracene, and py...

Fungal plant diseases are responsible for major crop and postharvest losses worldwide, with a signifi cant socio-economic impact on many individuals who depend on an agriculture-based economy. This review discusses the major constraints in identifying plant pathogenic fungi (severely destructive on important crops) in sample collection, fi eld, and...

This article is the 14th in the Fungal Diversity Notes series, wherein we report 98 taxa distributed in two phyla, seven classes, 26 orders and 50 families which are described and illustrated. Taxa in this study were collected from Australia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, French Guiana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Laos, Me...

A bitunicate ascomycete was collected on dead bamboo leaves from Guizhou Province, China. Phylogenetic analyses based on large subunit rRNA (LSU), small subunit rRNA (SSU), translation elongation factor 1-α (tef 1-α) and internal transcribed spacers (ITS) revealed that this species belongs to the genus Neostagonosporella (Phaeosphaeriaceae, Pleospo...

Fungal taxonomy has a long history and changed significantly in the last few decades. Most recent studies have witnessed morphology combined with DNA-based molecular analyses as the main research tool for fungal species identification. During field surveys, some interesting Didymosphaeriaceae species were found from plant litter in China and Thaila...

This paper elaborates the advances made in the study of morphology, phylogeny, host association and geography of novel and interesting fungi in China and Thailand. We documented saprobic microfungi from dead twigs of different plant hosts from Annonaceae (Anomianthus dulcis, Cananga odorata and Desmos chinensis), Apocynaceae (Alstonia scholaris) an...

This paper highlights the taxonomy of some interesting saprobic microfungi associated with dead plant materials of Hedychium coronarium, Lilium longiflorum, and Magnolia species. The taxa reported in this study belong to the orders Pleosporales and Kirschsteiniotheliales (Dothideomycetes). These taxa were identified based on multi-locus phylogeny o...

The placement of the dothideomycetous family Teichosporaceae has been controversial. Recent phylogenetic investigations have used a taxonomic lumping approach with the Floricolaceae and its genera have been synonymized under the earlier family name, Teichosporaceae. Intergeneric relationships were therefore obscure and proper generic delimitation w...

Endophytic fungi are a diverse group of microorganisms that live asymptomatically in healthy tissues of host and they have been reported from all kinds of plant tissues such as leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruits. In this study, fungal endophytes associated with tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) were collected from Kandy, Kegalle, and Nuwara Eli...

Scientific names are crucial for communicating knowledge concerning fungi and fungus-like organisms. In plant pathology, they link information regarding biology, host range, distribution and potential risk to agriculture and food security. In the past, delimitation among pathogenic taxa was primarily based on morphological characteristics. Due to d...

Climate change agitates interactions between organisms and the environment and forces them to adapt, migrate, get replaced by others, or extinct. Marine environments are extremely sensitive to climate change that influences their ecological functions and microbial community including fungi. Fungi from marine habitats are engaged and adapted to perf...

This article provides descriptions and illustrations of microfungi associated with the leaf litter of Celtis formosana, Ficus ampelas, F. septica, Macaranga tanarius and Morus australis collected from Taiwan. These host species are native to the island and Celtis formosana is an endemic tree species. The study revealed 95 species, consisting of two...

Collections of microfungi on bamboo and grasses in Thailand revealed an interesting species morphologically resembling Lophiostoma, but which can be distinguished from the latter based on multi-locus phylogeny. In this paper, a new genus, Sublophiostoma is introduced to accommodate the taxon, S. thailandica sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses using comb...

Endophytic fungi are internal inhabitants of plant tissues that do not apparently cause harm to the host. Ecologically they provide a number of benefits to the plants by decreasing herbivory, increasing drought and disease resistance and enhancing the growth of plants. Endophytes have emerged as an exciting research topic as they have the potential...

Fungi inhabiting the aerial parts of two mangrove trees, Nypa fruticans , and Rhizophora apiculata , were studied from the central region of Thailand, utilizing morpho-molecular characteristics. Three different fungal taxa were isolated including Rhytidhysteron kirshnacephalus sp. nov., Lasiodiplodia citricola and Striatiguttula phoenicis . Sexual...

Early taxonomic studies of ascomycetous microfungi were conducted based on morphological observations. With the advent and advancement of DNA based molecular studies over the last few decades, species, genera, families and orders of Ascomycota have been subjected to rapid taxonomic changes. In the last eight years, we have introduced many novel fun...

Freshwater Dothideomycetes are a highly diverse group of fungi, which are mostly saprobic in freshwater habitats worldwide. They are important decomposers of submerged woody debris and leaves in water. In this paper, we outline the genera of freshwater Dothideomycetes with notes and keys to species. Based on multigene analyses and morphology, we in...

Numerous new taxa and classifications of Dothideomycetes have been published following the last monograph of families of Dothideomycetes in 2013. A recent publication by Honsanan et al. in 2020 expanded information of families in Dothideomycetidae and Pleosporomycetidae with modern classifications. In this paper, we provide a refined updated docume...

Plant pathogens cause severe losses or damage to crops worldwide and thereby significantly reduce the quality and quantity of agricultural commodities. World tendencies are shifting towards reducing the usage of chemically synthesized pesticides, while various biocontrol methods, strategies and approaches are being used in plant disease management....

Based on the morphological and phylogenetic analyses, four specimens, which were collected from China and Thailand respectively, are identified as two novel species Nigrograna hydei and N. obtusispora and a new record N. magnoliae in the present study. These share morphologic characters typical of Nigrograna, and cluster together with existing Nigr...

Pleosporales is the largest order in the class Dothideomycetes, comprising a quarter of all species of Dothideomycetes. This paper provides comprehensive illustrations and descriptions of newly collected saprobic pleosporalean taxa from dicotyledons and grasses in China, Italy, Russia and Thailand. These species are accommodated in 8 families in Pl...

A new fungus, Muyocopron thailandica, collected from a dead plant sample in northern Thailand, is described and compared with other described species of Muyocopron. Multi-gene phylogenetic analyses based on LSU and ITS sequence data indicated that M. thailandica forms a distinct lineage within the genus Muyocopron, and is closely related to M. cast...

This article is the ninth in the series of Fungal Diversity Notes, where 107 taxa distributed in three phyla, nine classes, 31 orders and 57 families are described and illustrated. Taxa described in the present study include 12 new genera, 74 new species, three new combinations, two reference specimens, a re-circumscription of the epitype, and 15 r...

Pleosporales species are important plant pathogens, saprobes, and endophytes on a wide range of economically important plant hosts. The classification of Pleosporales has undergone various modifications in recent years due to the addition of many families described from multiple habitats with a high level of morphological deviation. Numerous asexua...

A novel ascomycetous genus, Elongaticollum , occurring on leaf litter of Hedychium coronarium (Zingiberaceae) in Taiwan, is described and illustrated. Elongaticollum is characterized by dark brown to black, superficial, obpyriform, pycnidial conidiomata with a distinct elongate neck, and oval to oblong, hyaline, aseptate conidia. Phylogenetic analy...

Bamboo is a widespread plant with medicinal value. During our taxonomic study on medicinal plants, three collections of Distoseptispora were made from China and Thailand. Phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, ITS and RPB2 sequence data showed that two collections represented a new species, phylogenetically distinct from other described species in...

Osmanthus fragrans naturally occurs in Taiwan, and is now widely cultivated as an ornamental plant. Signs of leaf spots caused by unknown species has been detected on O. fragrans saplings in Nangang District, Taipei City, Taiwan. This investigation aimed to illustrate the fungal species by engaging morphological features, pathogenicity tests, and D...

We are proud to publish a special issue of Fungal Diversity in honour of the contributions made by Erio Camporesi, who has promoted mycological research as a prodigious amateur mycologist and collector of fungi. The special issue includes Fungal Diversity notes 11, with many taxa named in Erio’s honour and a monograph of hyaline-spored Coelomycetes...

Fungal diversity notes is one of the important journal series of fungal taxonomy that provide detailed descriptions and illustrations of new fungal taxa, as well as providing new information of fungal taxa worldwide. This article is the 11th contribution to the fungal diversity notes series, in which 126 taxa distributed in two phyla, six classes,...

A novel ascomycete genus, Longihyalospora , occurring on leaf litter of Ficus ampelas in Dahu Forest Area in Chiayi, Taiwan is described and illustrated. Longihyalospora is characterized by dark mycelium covering the upper leaf surface, elongate mycelial pellicle with ring of setae, pale brown to brown peridium, broadly obovoid, short pedicellate a...

This article is the tenth series of the Fungal Diversity Notes, where 114 taxa distributed in three phyla, ten classes, 30 orders and 53 families are described and illustrated. Taxa described in the present study include one new family (viz. Pseudoberkleasmiaceae in Dothideomycetes), five new genera (Caatingomyces, Cryptoschizotrema, Neoacladium, P...

Leaf litter saprobic Didymellaceae (Dothideomycetes): Leptosphaerulina longiflori sp., nov. and Didymella sinensis, a new record from Roystonea regia Tennakoon DS, Thambugala KM, De Silva NI, Kuo CH, Hyde KD 2019-Leaf litter saprobic Didymellaceae (Dothideomycetes): Leptosphaerulina longiflori sp. nov. and Didymella sinensis, a new record from Roys...

This article is the ninth in the series of Fungal Diversity Notes, where 107 taxa distributed in three phyla, nine classes, 31 orders and 57 families are described and illustrated. Taxa described in the present study include 12 new genera, 74 new species, three new combinations, two reference specimens, a re-circumscription of the epitype, and 15 r...

During an investigation of micro-fungi inhabiting mangrove forests, a new species of Rhytidhysteron was collected and isolated from dead twigs of a mangrove tree. Rhytidhysteron mangrovei sp. nov. is introduced, described, illustrated and compared with accepted species in the genus. Morphological comparison based on the size of exciple, the appeara...

Arthrinium (Apiosporaceae) and Didymella (Didymellaceae) are species-rich genera and most of the members in these genera are plant pathogenic, saprobic or endophytic species that have been recorded from a wide range of hosts. The present study introduces Didymella eriobotryae sp. nov. and a new record of Arthrinium arundinis which are associated wi...

The species of the family Massariaceae have been reported as hemibiotrophs, saprotrophs or weak pathogens. Massarioramusculicols chiangraiensis gen. et sp. nov. (Massariaceae) is introduced in this study to accommodate a taxon isolated from dead twigs of an unknown host, collected in Thailand. Phylogenetic analysis of large subunit (LSU) rRNA seque...

Pseudolophiostoma mangiferae, isolated from a dead stem of Mangifera indica, collected in Fanlu Township area, Dahu village in Chiayi, Taiwan (Elevation 634 m) and is introduced as a new species based on morphological data and DNA sequence analyses. Maximum parsimony, Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of combined ITS, LSU, SSU and tef1-α seq...

Massariothea is a coelomycetous genus that produces brown, distoseptate conidia with species commonly reported on grasses (Poaceae) worldwide. Two undescribed Massariothea species associated with grass hosts were collected in Thailand, Chiang Rai province. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS, LSU, and EF1-α sequence data revealed that the new taxa nested...

Promputtha I 2018-Mycosphere Notes 225-274: types and other specimens of some genera of Ascomycota. Mycosphere 9(4), 647-754, Doi10.5943/mycosphere/9/4/3 Abstract This is the fifth in a series, Mycosphere notes, wherein 50 notes are provided on types of genera and other specimens with descriptions and illustrations. This includes one genus in Artho...

A new collection of Microsphaeropsis was made from Ononis spinosa L. in Italy. Multi-locus phylogenetic analyses of ITS, LSU and β-tubulin gene regions, combined with a detailed morphological analysis confirm its placement in Microsphaeropsis, Microsphaeropsidaceae. The novel collection is phylogenetically and morphologically distinct from other Mi...

Species and generic recognition in the order Xylariales has been uncertain due to lack of molecular data from authentic cultures, as well as overlapping morphological characteristics. In this study, we revise the families Graphostromataceae, Hypoxylaceae, Lopadostomataceae and Xylariaceae in Xylariales. Our study is based on DNA sequence data deriv...

A new species of Atrocalyx (Lophiotremataceae) was collected from dead branches of Acer species in Yunnan Province, China. This is the first record of Atrocalyx on Acer. Lophiotrema bambusae and Lophiotrema guttulata is transferred to Atrocalyx based on combined SSU, ITS, LSU and tef1 sequences analyses. A detailed description and illustration of t...

The genus Pseudodidymosphaeria is revisited with an overview of its history, a generic description with amendments and notes and illustrations of the genus. Molecular data from two species of the genus are analyzed using single and combined ITS and LSU gene datasets and the workflow of phylogenetic analysis is provided in an appendix. The genus Pse...

This is the sixth in a series of papers where we bring collaborating mycologists together to produce a set of notes of several taxa of fungi. In this study we introduce a new family Fuscostagonosporaceae in Dothideomycetes. We also introduce the new ascomycete genera Acericola, Castellaniomyces, Dictyosporina and Longitudinalis and new species Acer...

Incorporating asexual genera in a natural classification system and proposing one name for pleomorphic genera are important topics in the current era of mycology. Recently, several polyphyletic genera have been restricted to a single family, linked with a single sexual morph or spilt into several unrelated genera. Thus, updating existing data bases...

Knowledge of the relationships and thus the classification of fungi, has developed rapidly with increasingly widespread use of molecular techniques, over the past 10–15 years, and continues to accelerate. Several genera have been found to be polyphyletic, and their generic concepts have subsequently been emended. New names have thus been introduced...

A concatenated dataset of LSU, SSU, ITS and tef1 DNA sequence data was analysed to investigate the taxonomic position and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Camarosporium in Pleosporineae (Dothideomycetes). Newly generated sequences from camarosporium-like taxa collected from Europe (Italy) and Russia form a well-supported monophyletic clade w...

This is a first of a series of papers where we bring collaborating mycologists together to produce a set of notes of 50 taxa of fungi, including the new genera Phaeopoacea, Kalmusibambusa and Neoramichloridium, 33 new species, three new combinations, two reference specimens, one epitype, an asexual report and new host records or distribution record...

This is a continuity of a series of taxonomic and phylogenetic papers on the fungi where materials were collected from many countries, examined and described. In addition to extensive morphological descriptions and appropriate asexual and sexual connections, DNA sequence data are also analysed from concatenated datasets to infer phylogenetic relati...

Monochaetia is a pestalotiopsis-like genus characterized by 3–5-septate hyaline to brown conidia with single apical and basal appendages. Monochaetia species exhibit diverse conidial morphology, but many species lack molecular data and thus it is not clear if the genus is monophyletic. In this paper, combined LSU and ITS sequence data and morpholog...

Fungal taxonomy has a long history and nomenclatural type specimens constitute an integral part of fungal classification and nomenclature. To date, type specimens/old names have served as excellent exemplars and references and have been the pillar for a stable classification and appropriate nomenclature. However, with an increase in the number of s...

This paper briefly discusses the history of fungal taxonomy and contributes to the concepts and the importance of ranking genera, families and orders. We propose recommendations for introducing species into appropriate ranks such as genera, families and orders, as well as the rationale to maintain species in one genus or segregate one genus into se...

Lophiostomataceae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes) is a ubiquitous family that includes saprobic species associated with a wide variety of substrates in various habitats. DNA based studies have shown numerous genera can be determined within the family Lophiostomataceae that do not always connect to species based on morphological characteristics. An...

This is a continuity of a series of taxonomic papers where materials are examined, described and novel combinations are proposed where necessary to improve our traditional species concepts and provide updates on their classification. In addition to extensive morphological descriptions and appropriate asexual and sexual connections, DNA sequence dat...

Tamarix species are small trees that grow in various natural habitats and have a wide geographic distribution. Microfungal species previously found on Tamarix and recently collected in Italy and Russia were identified based on morphological characters and analyses of gene sequence data. The sexual morph of the coelomycetous genus Homortomyces was c...

A new species of Phaeobotryon was collected from Acer negundo, Forsythia × intermedia and Ligustrum vulgare from European Russia. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, β-tubulin and EF1-α sequence data revealed that these collections differ from all other species in the genus. Therefore it is introduced here as Phaeobotryon negun...

Notes on 113 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper, including 11 new genera, 89 new species, one new subspecies, three new combinations and seven reference specimens. A wide geographic and taxonomic range of fungal taxa are detailed. In the Ascomycota the new genera Angustospora (Testudinaceae), Camporesia (Xylariaceae), Clematidis, Crassiparies (...

Celtis occidentalis (American hackberry) is a deciduous tree widely distributed in northern America and introduced in many regions of Europe. In this study we collected Cucurbitaria celtidis from dead or dying twigs and branches of C. occidentalis (Cannabaceae) in the Rostov region (Southern European Russia), where this tree is a common ergasiophyt...

Rhytidhysteron (Hysteriaceae) species are widely distributed as saprobes or weak pathogens on a wide range of woody plants. In this study, several Rhytidhysteron collections were made in northern Thailand and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses were used to resolve the phylogenetic boundaries of species. Two novel species, R. thailandicumand R. neo...

This paper provides recommendations of one name for use among pleomorphic genera in Dothideomycetes by the Working Group on Dothideomycetes established under the auspices of the International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF). A number of these generic names are proposed for protection because they do not have priority and/or the generic n...

This paper is a compilation of notes on 142 fungal taxa, including five new families, 20 new genera, and 100 new species, representing a wide taxonomic and geographic range. The new families, Ascocylindricaceae, Caryosporaceae and Wicklowiaceae (Ascomycota) are introduced based on their distinct lineages and unique morphology. The new Dothideomycet...

Abstract Taxonomic names are key links between various databases that store information on different organisms. Several global fungal nomenclural and taxonomic databases (notably Index Fungorum, Species Fungorum and MycoBank) can be sourced to find taxonomic details about fungi, while DNA sequence data can be sourced from NCBI, EBI and UNITE databa...

This paper is a compilation of notes on 142 fungal taxa, including five new families, 20 new genera, and 100 new species, representing a wide taxonomic and geographic range. The new families, Ascocylindricaceae, Caryosporaceae and Wicklowiaceae (Ascomycota) are introduced based on their distinct lineages and unique morphology. The new Dothideomycet...

The family Melanommataceae is widespread in temperate and subtropical regions and species invariably occur on twigs or bark of various woody plants in terrestrial, marine or freshwater habitats. In this paper, the type species of 26 genera of the family are re-described and illustrated. A multi-gene phylogeny based on maximum likelihood and Bayesia...

Didymosphaeria spartii was collected from dead branches of Spartium junceum in Italy. Multi-gene phylogenetic analyses of ITS, 18S and 28S nrDNA sequence data were carried out using maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis. The resulting phylogenetic trees showed this to be a new genus in a well-supported clade in Massarinaceae. A new genus Pseudod...