Hugh F. Glen’s research while affiliated with National Botanical Research Institute and other places

Several recent studies have reviewed the extent of fungal biodiversity, and have used these data as basis for revised estimates of species numbers based on known numbers of plants and insects. None of these studies, however, have focused on fungal biodiversity in South Africa. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the National Collection of Fungi (PREM) in South Africa in 2005, it is thus timely to reflect on the taxonomic research that has been conducted in South Africa over the past Century. Information is presented on the extent of fungal collections preserved at PREM, and the associated research publications that have largely resulted from this resource. These data are placed in context of the known plant and insect biodiversity, and used as basis to estimate the potential number of fungi that could be expected in South Africa. The conservative estimate is of approximately 200 000 species without taking into account those associated with a substantial insect biodiversity.

The ascomycete genera Cryphonectria and Endothia are closely related members of Diaporthales. Recent DNA sequence comparisons have shown that isolates from Elaeocarpus spp. in New Zealand, previously identified as Cryphonectria radicalis and Cryphonectria gyrosa, represent a phylogenetic group distinct from those including other species of Cryphonectria and Endothia. Cryphonectria gyrosa applies to a species that occurs on Elaeocarpus glandulifer in Sri Lanka, the same host genus but a different species from which the New Zealand collections were made. The aim of this study was to provide a name for the fungi residing in the phylogenetic group from New Zealand. Morphological characters that define these fungi include superficial conical conidiomata, conidia of variable size, and ascospores with one to three septa. These characteristics are not found in other species of Cryphonectria. We also recognise a second species in the group from New Zealand that has distinctly larger ascospores. Herbarium specimens of C. gyrosa exhibit the same primary characteristics as the specimens from New Zealand and C. gyrosa is regarded as conspecific with one of the species in the New Zealand collections. A new genus, Amphilogia, is described for the collections of C. gyrosa from Sri Lanka and New Zealand, which also contains the second species from New Zealand, Amphilogia major sp. nov.

The name Ophiostoma quercus, for a well-known and economically important sapstaining fungus occurring world-wide on hardwoods and commercially produced pines, is to be preferred over O. querci in view of grammatical rules of Latin.