Verrucoccum (Dothideomycetes, Dictyosporiaceae), a new genus of lichenicolous fungi on Lobaria s. lat. for the Dothidea hymeniicola species complex.

Two lichenicolous fungi, one growing on the thallus of Lobaria pulmonaria in the United Kingdom (Scotland) and the other in apothecia of Lobaria linita and L. oregana in northwestern North America (Alaska and British Columbia) and northeast Asia (Russian Far East, Khabarovsk Krai), show similarities to the species originally described as Dothidea hymeniicola (later transferred to Polycoccum s. lat and Endococcus) from a Lobaria s. lat. species in Central America. Critical morphological comparison showed that, despite the superficial resemblance between Alaskan, Canadian, Russian, and Scottish collections and the holotype of Dothidea hymeniicola, they can be distinguished by detailed microscopic analyses. Using three molecular markers, sequences of the nuc 18S, 28S, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA regions of the recent Scottish and Alaskan collections were obtained. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed separation of the species and revealed them as a new lineage in Pleosporales, for which the new generic name Verrucoccum is introduced for the three species: V. coppinsii, sp. nov., V. hymeniicola, comb. nov. (syn. Dothidea hymeniicola), and V. spribillei, sp. nov.

Use of Ganoderma lucidum (Ganodermataceae, Basidiomycota) as Radioprotector.

For millennia, naturopaths and physicians have used Ganoderma lucidum (reishi mushroom) for its diverse therapeutic properties, as recorded in the oldest Chinese herbal encyclopedia. Indeed, a radioprotective effect has been reported in the isolated components of its extracts. A systematic review and meta-analyses (PRISMA) was conducted in March 2020, searching databases including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar, along with Clinical Trials. The inclusion criteria were ex vivo, in vitro, and in vivo studies, with full texts in English, conducted to determine the radioprotective benefits of G. lucidum, or reports in which ionizing radiation was used. From a total number of 1109 records identified, 15 full text articles were eligible, none of them were clinical trials. In vivo studies reveal the efficiency of G. lucidum aqueous extracts of polysaccharides and triterpenes in mice exposed to γ-rays. In plasmid, they can reduce radiation damage as an increment of the open circular form, as well as increase the DNA extension, as shown in vitro studies. Ex vivo studies conducted in human blood cells show the radioprotective effect of ß-glucan of aqueous extract of G. lucidum, nevertheless, its implementation as radioprotector to humans is in need of further clinical research studies.

Considerations and consequences of allowing DNA sequence data as types of fungal taxa.

Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.