Qi Zhao

Chinese Academy of Sciences | CAS · Kunming Institute of Botany

The white saddle-mushroom, a well-known European species, has long been named as Helvella crispa in China. In this study, phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, nrLSU, tef1-a, rpb2 and mcm7 sequence data, showed that the Chinese H. crispa-like samples represent a species complex, which contains at least six phylogenetic species. Three of these spec...

The Bachu mushroom, previously identified as Helvella leucopus, is characterized by a saddle-shaped, to irregularly lobed pileus, with a gray, brown to blackish hymenium and a whitish to pale receptacle surface and white, terete stipe with enlarged basal grooves. It has high economic value, mostly as a dietary supplement in western China, and its m...

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...

The genus Wynnella has long been regarded as a monotypic genus, consisting only W. auricula (Schaeff) Boud. Morphological and phylogenetic studies were carried out on new collections of Wynnella from Tibet and Sichuan, in southwestern China. Morphology and phylogenies inferred from the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA (ITS) and t...

The relation between ecological and genetic divergence of Helvella species (Saddle fungi) has been perplexing. While a few species have been clearly demonstrated to be ectomycorrhizal fungi, ecological roles of many other species have been controversial, alternately considered as either saprotrophic or mycorrhizal. We applied SATé to build an inclu...

During an investigation of lignicolous freshwater fungi in Xizang Autonomous Prefecture, China, two collections were obtained from submerged wood in freshwater stream. This study reported a novel species within the genus Distoseptispora, namely Distoseptispora motuoensis, based on phylogenetic results from combined sequence data (ITS, LSU and tef1-...

A new species of Periconia found in the southern region of Xizang, China, was described and illustrated based on morphological features and DNA sequence data. Periconia shannanensis was isolated from dead wood, and is characterized by hairy, brown to dark brown colonies, apical branched, septate and long conidiophores. Additionally, it displays sub...

The Family Torulaceae belongs to the Order Pleosporales (Class Dothideomycetes) and mainly comprises saprobes. The taxa are widely distributed in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. In this study, we collected three dead leaf specimens of Carex baccans and two submerged wood specimens in Yunnan Province, China. A biphasic approach of morphologic...

A new species, Neotorula nujiangensis, was isolated on dead wood in Nujiang City, Yunnan Province, China. It is characterized by hairy, dark brown colonies with mononematous, straight or flexuous, polytretic conidiophores that comprises a few cells, doliiform or lageniform conidiogenous cells that are acrogenous and chains of multi-septate, verrucu...

The phytopathogenic genus, Entomosporium can cause serious leaf diseases worldwide. Entomosporium has long been regarded as a synonym of Diplocarpon. However, different morphologies between Entomosporium and Diplocarpon make this doubtful. Based on morpho-phylogenetic analyses, the placement of the genus was re-evaluated in this study. The combined...

Dicephalospora is a discomycete belonging to the fungus family Helotiaceae (Helotiales). In the present study, a new species of Dicephalospora is identified based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS and LSU sequences. Dicephalospora xishuangbannanensis sp. nov. is characterized by yellow-orange, stipitate apot...

Lignicolous freshwater fungi form a highly diverse group and are primarily distributed in the classes Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes. During an investigation of lignicolous freshwater fungi on the Tibetan Plateau, China, four collections were obtained from submerged wood in freshwater habitats. Morphological studies combined with multi-gene ph...

Tubeufiaceae species have diverse morphologies and habitats and are distributed in both tropical and temperate regions. In the past decade, several new and interesting Tubeufiaceae species were reported from China in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. In this study, we investigated two saprobic species collected on decaying wood in a terrestrial hab...

Phaeoisaria is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and characterized by straight or flexuous, erect, dark brown to black synnemata with parallelly adpressed conidiophores and ellipsoidal to obovoid, solitary, hyaline, aseptate, acrogenous conidia. This study's phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, LSU, and SSU sequence data showed that t...

Mushrooms are important organisms because of their human nutritional and medicinal value. With the expansion of the cultivation of edible mushrooms, fungal diseases have become a major problem in limiting their production. Numerous fungi can cause mushroom deformation or rots. In this publication we report on fungal diseases found during Morchella...

During an investigation of lignicolous freshwater fungi in the Tibetan Plateau, three Aquapteridospora taxa were collected from freshwater habitats in Xizang, China. The new species possess polyblastic, sympodial, denticles conidiogenous cells and fusiform, septate, with or without sheath conidial, that fit within the generic concept of Aquapterido...

During the investigations of discomycetes in Yunnan, China, five species of Tatraea were discovered on decayed, decorticated oak trees or unidentified wood. All species have typical disc-like, large fruiting bodies with grey, brown or greyish-green colors. The ITS sequence analysis showed that they belong to Tatraea (Helotiaceae, Helotiales) and th...

A new genus Globosus with a new species G. polychromus is introduced from a freshwater habitat in Thailand, based on morphological characters with evidence from phylogenetic analysis of concatenated internal transcribed spacer region ITS4-5.8S -ITS5 (ITS), nuclear large subunit rDNA (28S) and nuclear small subunit rDNA (18S) sequence data. Phylogen...

During an investigation of freshwater fungi in the Tibetan Plateau, China, a new hyphomycetous fungus, Sporidesmiella motuoensis, was isolated from submerged decaying wood in freshwater habitat. Sporidesmiella motuoensis is characterized by cylindrical, straight or slightly flexuous conidiophores, hyaline, smooth conidiogenous cells, and obovoid, h...

Two fungal strains were isolated from submerged decaying woods in the freshwater habitats, which are characterized by cylindrical, septate, verrucose, brown conidia, composed of four vertical columns of cells, 3-septate in each column, with four appendages at the base which are slightly tapering toward the apex and each with 5–10-septate. Multigene...

During the investigation of Helvella in Yunnan, China, four saddle-like specimens were collected and studied. Through a comprehensive analysis of both morphological traits and phylogenetic data from LSU and hsp90 sequences, the four collections were identified and are described as two new species, i.e., Helvella liquii and H. pseudoatra. Helvella l...

This article is the 15th contribution in the Fungal Diversity Notes series, wherein 115 taxa from three phyla, nine classes, 28 orders, 48 families, and 64 genera are treated. Fungal taxa described and illustrated in the present study include a new family, five new genera, 61 new species, five new combinations, one synonym, one new variety and 31 r...

Fungal diversity notes 1611–1716

Urnula is a prominent and older genus within the family Sarcosomataceae. Its members are widely distributed and have very similar features in the field. This study proposes two novel Urnula species collected from Yunnan Province, China. Detailed descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic analyses are provided. Urnula ailaoshanensis grows on rott...

Based on the morphology and phylogenetic analyses of 5.8s ribosomal RNA and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS), large subunit rRNA (LSU), translation elongation factor-1 alpha (tef-1α), and heat shock protein 90 (hsp90), a novel species, Helvella submacropus is introduced. The species is found in Yunnan Province, China, and is characterized by sha...

The brown cupulate saddle fungi with villus surface in China, have long been named as Helvella macropus, a well-known European and North American species. In this study, Helvella fruiting bodies from Austria, China (the Tibetan Plateau), and Germany were examined. Phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, TEF and HSP90 sequence data showed that the Ch...

Hydnellum (Bankeraceae, Thelephorales) is a stipitate hydnoid genus with spinous hymenophore, brown tuberculate basidiospores, and very tough, corky, or leathery flesh. This genus is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, and many species are committed to mycorrhizal relationships with certain trees. In this study, one new species of Hydnel...

Most species of Helvella have been described from temperate regions in Asia, Europe, and North America, but little is known about the genus from tropical regions. In this report, phylogenetic analyses of 11 newly collected saddle-like fungi from northern Thailand using three genetic markers [the nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU), the heat s...

A new species, Stephanonectria ellipsoidea, was isolated from decaying fruit in Kunming City, Yunnan Province, China. It is characterized by pale orange colonies, densely clustered, irregularly branched conidiophores, cylindrical phialides, and hyaline, ellipsoidal conidia. Its morphology fits well with the generic concept of Stephanonectria. This...

This is the eighth of the series Mycosphere notes wherein we provide descriptions and notes on various fungal genera. In this compilation, we introduce Neophaeosphaeriopsis (Phaeosphaeriaceae) as a new genus, and 25 new species. The new species are Acrodictys bambusae (Acrodictyaceae), Acrogenospora guizhouensis (Acrogenosporaceae), Aureobasidium x...

During the investigation of lignicolous freshwater fungi in the Tibetan Plateau habitat, fifteen collections were isolated from submerged decaying wood. Fungal characteristics are commonly found as punctiform or powdery colonies with dark pigmented and muriform conidia. Multigene phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, LSU, SSU and TEF DNA sequences...

A survey of lignicolous freshwater fungi in Thailand resulted in the discovery of one new species in Parafuscosporella herein described as Parafuscosporella lignicola. It is characterized by sporodochial colonies, moniliform or ellipsoidal conidiophores, ellipsoidal or cylindrical conidiogenous cells, irregular ellipsoidal and dark brown conidia. P...

The genus Ascopolyporus belongs Cordycipitaceae. Its members infect scale insects as necrotrophs, and produce stromata on the living stems of plants as biotrophs. In this study, we introduce a new taxon of Ascopolyporus that was collected from Tibet, China. Fresh stromata of the new taxon were located on the living stems of bamboo. The new taxon is...

Based on the morphological and phylogenetic analyses, we introduce a new species, Rhexoacrodictys melanospora, collected on decaying wood from terrestrial habitats in Yunnan, China. Phylogenetic analyses based on the combination of four loci (LSU, SSU, ITS and RPB2 data) demonstrated high support for establishing a new species within Rhexoacrodicty...

Sarcoscyphaceae (Pezizales) is distinguished by small to large, vividly-coloured sessile to stipitate apothecia, plurinucleate and pigmented paraphyses, operculate asci with thick walls, and plurinucleate, uniguttulate to multiguttulate ascospores with smooth walls or ornamentations. We collected more than 40 Sarcoscyphaceae specimens from dead twi...

Fungi are an understudied resource possessing huge potential for developing products that can greatly improve human well-being. In the current paper, we highlight some important discoveries and developments in applied mycology and interdisciplinary Life Science research. These examples concern recently introduced drugs for the treatment of infectio...

This study describes a new species, Diplocarpa constans, collected from southwestern China, characterized by its excipulum with a negative ionomidotic reaction. Phylogenetic analyses based on the combined LSU, ITS and SSU dataset supported the establishment of the new species within Diplocarpa. The study discusses the differences between the new sp...

During investigations into fungal diversity in the Tibetan Plateau, two Helvella collections were made. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS and LSU sequence data revealed one collection represents a distinct new species that is introduced as Helvella cystidiata. Helvella cystidiata is characterized by having loos...

A new species, Chlorociboria daliensis, was discovered on decayed decorticated wood in Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Chlorociboria daliensis can be distinguished from other Chlorociboria species by the colour of their discs which are light blue when fresh, pale yellowish-green, green or dark green when dry, branched paraphyses, cylindric or...

Two new species of Boletopsis , B. macrocarpa and B. tibetana , are described and illustrated from Southwest (SW) China based on morphology, ecology and phylogenetic analyses by the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) and the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU). Boletopsis macrocarpa is characterized by big basidiocarps (up to...

A novel polysaccharide (MSP-1) was isolated from the fruiting body of Morchella sextelata and purified using DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-75. The molecular weight of MSP-1 was 1.17 × 10⁴ Da, as detected by HPLC analysis. The monosaccharide composition of MSP-1 was mannose and glucose at a ratio of 1.00: 1.25. Methylation and NMR results revealed that the...

The genus Ascopolyporus belongs Cordycipitaceae. Its members infect scale insects as necrotrophs, and produce stromata on the living stems of plants as biotrophs. In this study, we introduce a new taxon of Ascopolyporus that was collected from Tibet, China. Fresh stromata of the new taxon were located on the living stems of bamboo. The new taxon is...

True morels (Morchella, Pezizales) cultivated in soil are subject to complex influences from soil microbial communities. To explore the characteristics of soil microbial communities on morel cultivation, and evaluate whether these microbes are related to morel production, we collected 23 soil samples from four counties in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinc...

Microfungi associated with woody plants on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) were investigated, and four collections associated with Potentilla fruticosa were obtained from Gansu and Qinghai provinces in China. Morphologically, they line well with Lentitheciaceae in having subglobose to globose ascomata with brown setae on the papilla but can be dist...

Tolypocladium, a diverse genus of fungicolous fungi belonging to Ophiocordycipitaceae, includes saprotrophic soil inhabitants, plant endophytes and pathogens of insects, nematodes, rotifers, and parasites of truffle-like fungi. Here, we review the research progress achieved for Tolypocladium regarding its taxonomy, species diversity, geographic dis...

Inferring gene regulatory networks (GRNs) from microarray data can help us understand the mechanisms of life and eventually develop effective therapies. Currently, many computational methods have been used in inferring GRNs. However, owing to high-dimensional data and small samples, these methods often tend to introduce redundant regulatory relatio...

This paper describes five sarcosomataceous samples collected from southwestern China and provides an updated two locus phylogeny of Sarcosomataceae. Two new species, Donadinia echinacea and Plectania sichuanensis, are described based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses. Donadinia echinacea is a dematiaceous hyphomycete with pleurogenous, gut...

Morels (Morchella sp.) are economically important edible macro-fungi, which can grow on various synthetic or semi-synthetic media. However, the complex nutritional metabolism and requirements of these fungi remain ill-defined. This study, based on the plant biomass commonly used in the artificial cultivation of morels, assessed and compared the gro...

Recent transcriptomics and bioinformatics studies have shown that ncRNAs can affect chromosome structure and gene transcription, participate in the epigenetic regulation, and take part in diseases such as tumorigenesis. Biologists have found that most ncRNAs usually work by interacting with the corresponding RNA-binding proteins. Therefore, ncRNA-p...

Fungi have a worldwide distribution, however, less than 10% of the estimated species have

This is the twelfth contribution to the Fungal Diversity Notes series on fungal taxonomy, based on materials collected from many countries which were examined and described using the methods of morphology, anatomy, and strain culture, combined with DNA sequence analyses. 110 taxa are described and illustrated, including five new genera, 92 new spec...

Acervus (Pyronemataceae, Pezizales) is a saprobic genus in Pezizomycetes, characterized by colored apothecia, subcylindrical to cylindrical asci and guttulate ascospores. We collected four Acervus samples from China and Thailand. Descriptions and illustrations are introduced for all fresh samples. One new record of A. globulosus from Thailand, one...

Hypomyces is a large genus of fungicolous fungi, parasitising the fruiting bodies of Agaricales, Boletales, Helotiales, Pezizales and Polyporales. Hypomyces currently comprises of 147 species widely distributed in Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, North America, Sri Lanka, Thailand and UK. Amongst them, 28 species have been recorded...

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,...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a kind of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) that regulate the expression of target genes and play a role in the occurrence and development of cancers. Colon cancer (COAD) is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality. However, the prognostic value of miRNAs in COAD is still confusing. In this study, we obtain miRNAs and me...

Maintaining and updating databases and checklists of genera of fungi is an essential task for most fungal research. Advances in molecular techniques in the last 20 years have greatly influenced the fungal taxonomy and classification. Consequently, it is important to have access to all existing data and for these data to be continuously updated with...

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 prese