Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Antarctica , Apenidiella antarctica from permafrost, Cladosporium fildesense fromanunidentifiedmarinesponge. Argentina , Geastrum wrightii onhumusinmixedforest. Australia , Golovinomyces glandulariae on Glandularia aristigera, Neoanungitea eucalyptorum on leaves of Eucalyptus grandis, Teratosphaeria corymbiicola on leaves of Corymbia ficifolia, Xylaria eucalypti on leaves of Eucalyptus radiata. Brazil, Bovista psammophila on soil, Fusarium awaxy on rotten stalks of Zea mays, Geastrum lanuginosum on leaf litter covered soil, Hermetothecium mikaniae-micranthae (incl. Hermetothecium gen. nov.)on Mikania micrantha, Penicillium reconvexovelosoi in soil, Stagonosporopsis vannaccii from pod of Glycine max. British Virgin Isles , Lactifluus guanensis onsoil. Canada , Sorocybe oblongispora on resin of Picea rubens. Chile, Colletotrichum roseum on leaves of Lapageria rosea. China, Setophoma caverna fromcarbonatiteinKarstcave. Colombia , Lareunionomyces eucalypticola on leaves of Eucalyptus grandis. Costa Rica, Psathyrella pivae onwood. Cyprus , Clavulina iris oncalcareoussubstrate. France , Chromosera ambigua and Clavulina iris var. occidentalis onsoil. French West Indies , Helminthosphaeria hispidissima ondeadwood. Guatemala , Talaromyces guatemalensis insoil. Malaysia , Neotracylla pini (incl. Tracyllales ord. nov. and Neotra- cylla gen. nov.)and Vermiculariopsiella pini on needles of Pinus tecunumanii. New Zealand, Neoconiothyrium viticola on stems of Vitis vinifera, Parafenestella pittospori on Pittosporum tenuifolium, Pilidium novae-zelandiae on Phoenix sp. Pakistan , Russula quercus-floribundae onforestfloor. Portugal , Trichoderma aestuarinum from salinewater. Russia , Pluteus liliputianus on fallen branch of deciduous tree, Pluteus spurius on decaying deciduouswoodorsoil. South Africa , Alloconiothyrium encephalarti, Phyllosticta encephalarticola and Neothyrostroma encephalarti (incl. Neothyrostroma gen. nov.)onleavesof Encephalartos sp., Chalara eucalypticola on leaf spots of Eucalyptus grandis_× urophylla, Clypeosphaeria oleae on leaves of Olea capensis, Cylindrocladiella postalofficium on leaf litter of Sideroxylon inerme , Cylindromonium eugeniicola (incl. Cylindromonium gen. nov.)onleaflitterof Eugenia capensis , Cyphellophora goniomatis on leaves of Gonioma kamassi , Nothodactylaria nephrolepidis (incl. Nothodactylaria gen. nov. and Nothodactylariaceae fam. nov.)onleavesof Nephrolepis exaltata , Falcocladium eucalypti and Gyrothrix eucalypti on leaves of Eucalyptus sp., Gyrothrix oleae on leaves of Olea capensis subsp. macrocarpa , Harzia metro sideri on leaf litter of Metrosideros sp., Hippopotamyces phragmitis (incl. Hippopota- myces gen. nov.)onleavesof Phragmites australis , Lectera philenopterae on Philenoptera violacea , Leptosillia mayteni on leaves of Maytenus heterophylla , Lithohypha aloicola and Neoplatysporoides aloes on leaves of Aloe sp., Millesimomyces rhoicissi (incl. Millesimomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Rhoicissus digitata , Neodevriesia strelitziicola on leaf litter of Strelitzia nicolai , Neokirramyces syzygii (incl. Neokirramyces gen. nov.)onleafspotsof

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows:Australia,Chaetopsina eucalyptionEucalyptusleaf litter,Colletotrichum cobbittiensefromCordyline stricta×C. australishybrid,Cyanodermella banksiaeonBanksia ericifoliasubsp.macrantha, Discosia macrozamiaeonMacrozamia miquelii, Elsinoë banksiigenaonBanksia marginata, Elsinoë elaeocarpionElaeocarpussp.,Elsinoë leucopogonisonLeucopogonsp.,Helminthosporium livistonaeonLivistona australis,Idriellomyces eucalypti(incl.Idriellomycesgen. nov.) onEucalyptus obliqua,Lareunionomyces eucalyptionEucalyptussp.,Myrotheciomyces corymbiae(incl.Myrotheciomycesgen. nov.,Myrotheciomycetaceaefam. nov.),Neolauriomyces eucalypti(incl.Neolauriomycesgen. nov.,Neolauriomycetaceaefam. nov.) onEucalyptussp.,Nullicamyces eucalypti(incl.Nullicamycesgen. nov.) onEucalyptusleaf litter,Oidiodendron eucalyptionEucalyptus maidenii,Paracladophialophora cyperacearum(incl.Paracladophialophoraceaefam. nov.) andPericonia cyperacearumon leaves ofCyperaceae,Porodiplodia livistonae(incl.Porodiplodiagen. nov.,Porodiplodiaceaefam. nov.) onLivistona australis,Sporidesmium melaleucae(incl.Sporidesmialesord. nov.) onMelaleucasp.,Teratosphaeria sieberionEucalyptus sieberi,Thecaphora australiensisin capsules of a variant ofOxalis exilis.Brazil,Aspergillus serratalhadensisfrom soil,Diaporthe pseudoinconspicuafromPoincianella pyramidalis,Fomitiporella pertenuison dead wood,Geastrum magnosporumon soil,Marquesius aquaticus(incl.Marquesiusgen. nov.) from submerged decaying twig and leaves of unidentified plant,Mastigosporella pigmentatafrom leaves ofQualea parviflorae,Mucor souzaefrom soil,Mycocalia aquaphilaon decaying wood from tidal detritus,Preussia citrullinaas endophyte from leaves ofCitrullus lanatus,Queiroziella brasiliensis(incl.Queiroziellagen. nov.) as epiphytic yeast on leaves ofPortea leptantha,Quixadomyces cearensis(incl.Quixadomycesgen. nov.) on decaying bark,Xylophallus clavatuson rotten wood.Canada,Didymella carionCarum carviandCoriandrum sativum.Chile,Araucasphaeria foliorum(incl.Araucasphaeriagen. nov.) onAraucaria araucana,Aspergillus tumidusfrom soil,Lomentospora valparaisensisfrom soil.Colombia,Corynespora pseudocassiicolaonByrsonimasp.,Eucalyptostroma eucalyptorumonEucalyptus pellita,Neometulocladosporiella eucalypti(incl.Neometulocladosporiellagen. nov.) onEucalyptus grandis×urophylla,Tracylla eucalypti(incl.Tracyllaceaefam. nov.,Tracyllalalesord. nov.) onEucalyptus urophylla.Cyprus,Gyromitra anthracobia(incl.Gyromitrasubg.Pseudoverpa) on burned soil.Czech Republic,Lecanicillium restrictumfrom the surface of the wooden barrel,Lecanicillium testudineumfromscales ofTrachemys scripta elegans.Ecuador,Entoloma yanacolorandSaproamanita quitensison soil.France,Lentithecium carbonneanumfrom submerged decorticatedPopulusbranch.Hungary,Pleuromyces hungaricus(incl.Pleuromycesgen. nov.) from a largeFagus sylvaticalog.Iran,Zymoseptoria crescentaonAegilops triuncialis.Malaysia,Ochroconis musicolaonMusasp.Mexico,Cladosporium michoacanensefrom soil.New Zealand, Acrodontium metrosiderionMetrosideros excelsa, Polynema podocarpionPodocarpus totara, Pseudoarthrographis phlogis(incl.Pseudoarthrographisgen. nov.) onPhlox subulata.Nigeria,Coprinopsis afrocinereaon soil.Pakistan,Russula mansehraensison soil underPinus roxburghii.Russia,Baorangia alexandrion soil in deciduous forests withQuercus mongolica.South Africa,Didymocyrtis brachylaenaeonBrachylaena discolor.Spain,Alfaria dactylisfrom fruit ofPhoenix dactylifera, Dothiora infuscansfrom a blackened wall,Exophiala nidicolafrom the nest of an unidentified bird,Matsushimaea monilioidesfrom soil,Terfezia morenoion soil.United Arab Emirates,Tirmania honrubiaeon soil.USA,Arxotrichum wyomingense(incl.Arxotrichumgen. nov.) from soil,Hongkongmyces snookiorumfrom submerged detritus from a fresh water fen,Leratiomyces tesquorumfrom soil,Talaromyces tabacinusonleaves ofNicotiana tabacum.Vietnam,Afroboletus vietnamensison soil in an evergreen tropical forest,Colletotrichum condaoensefromIpomoea pes-caprae.Morphological and culture characteristics along with DNA barcodes are provided.

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Austroboletus asper on soil, Cylindromonium alloxyli on leaves of Alloxylon pinnatum, Davidhawksworthia quintiniae on leaves of Quintinia sieberi, Exophiala prostantherae on leaves of Prostanthera sp., Lactifluus lactiglaucus on soil, Linteromyces quintiniae (incl. Linteromyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Quintinia sieberi, Lophotrichus medusoides from stem tissue of Citrus garrawayi, Mycena pulchra on soil, Neocalonectria tristaniopsidis (incl. Neocalonectria gen. nov.)and Xyladictyochaeta tristaniopsidis on leaves of Tristaniopsis collina, Parasarocladium tasmanniae on leaves of Tasmannia insipida, Phytophthora aquae-cooljarloo from pond water, Serendipita whamiae as endophyte from roots of Eriochilus cucullatus, Veloboletus limbatus (incl. Veloboletus gen. nov.)onsoil. Austria, Cortinarius glaucoelotus onsoil. Bulgaria, Suhomyces rilaensis from the gut of Bolitophagus interruptus found on a Polyporus sp. Canada, Cantharellus betularum among leaf litter of Betula, Penicillium saanichii from house dust. Chile, Circinella lampensis on soil, Exophiala embothrii from rhizosphere of Embothrium coccineum. China, Colletotrichum cycadis on leaves of Cycas revoluta. Croatia, Phialocephala melitaea on fallen branch of Pinus halepensis. Czech Republic, Geoglossum jirinae on soil, Pyrenochaetopsis rajhradensis from dead wood of Buxus sempervirens. Dominican Republic, Amanita domingensis on litter of deciduous wood, Melanoleuca dominicana on forest litter. France, Crinipellis nigrolamellata (Martinique) on leaves of Pisonia fragrans, Talaromyces pulveris from bore dust of Xestobium rufovillosum infesting floorboards. French Guiana, Hypoxylon hepaticolor on dead corticated branch. Great Britain, Inocybe ionolepis on soil. India, Cortinarius indopurpurascens among leaf litter of Quercus leucotrichophora. Iran, Pseudopyricularia javanii on infected leaves of Cyperus sp., Xenomonodictys iranica (incl. Xenomonodictys gen. nov.) on wood of Fagus orientalis. Italy, Penicillium vallebormidaense from compost. Namibia, Alternaria mirabibensis on plant litter, Curvularia moringae and Moringomyces phantasmae (incl. Moringomyces gen. nov.) on leaves and flowers of Moringa ovalifolia, Gobabebomyces vachelliae (incl. Gobabebomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Vachellia erioloba, Preussia procaviae on dung of Procavia capensis. Pakistan, Russula shawarensis from soil on forest floor. Russia, Cyberlindnera dauci from Daucus carota. South Africa, Acremonium behniae on leaves of Behnia reticulata, Dothiora aloidendri and Hantamomyces aloidendri (incl. Hantamomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Aloidendron dichotomum, Endoconidioma euphorbiae on leaves of Euphorbia mauritanica , Eucasphaeria proteae on leaves of Protea neriifolia , Exophiala mali from inner fruit tissue of Malus sp., Graminopassalora geissorhizae on leaves of Geissorhiza splendidissima, Neocamarosporium leipoldtiae on leaves of Leipoldtia schultzii, Neocladosporium osteospermi on leaf spots of Osteospermum moniliferum, Neometulocladosporiella seifertii on leaves of Combretum caffrum, Paramyrothecium pituitipietianum on stems of Grielum humifusum, Phytopythium paucipapillatum from roots of Vitis sp., Stemphylium carpobroti and Verrucocladosporium carpobroti on leaves of Carpobrotus quadrifolius, Suttonomyces cephalophylli on leaves of Cephalophyllum pilansii. Sweden, Coprinopsis rubra on cow dung, Elaphomyces nemoreus fromdeciduouswoodlands. Spain, Polyscytalum pini-canariensis on needles of Pinus canariensis, Pseudosubramaniomyces septatus from stream sediment, Tuber lusitanicum on soil under Quercus suber. Thailand, Tolypocladium flavonigrum on Elaphomyces sp. USA, Chaetothyrina spondiadis on fruits of Spondias mombin, Gymnascella minnisii from bat guano, Juncomyces patwiniorum on culms of Juncus effusus, Moelleriella puertoricoensis on scale insect, Neodothiora populina (incl. Neodothiora gen. nov.) on stem cankers of Populus tremuloides, Pseudogymnoascus palmeri fromcavesediment. Vietnam, Cyphellophora vietnamensis on leaf litter, Tylopilus subotsuensis on soil in montane evergreen broadleaf forest. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes.

Since 2007, the quality of Russula descriptions has improved and the use of molecular support for species delimitation and the number of published new species has increased. However, the description style is not consistent and has regional or author-specific patterns. Most recent publications still favour descriptions of spores compared to hymenium and pileipellis elements, and usually only the spore size is provided with statistical support. This study proposes standards for descriptions of the microscopic structure of Russula species (Russulaceae, Agaricomycetes). We present the description template, the template measurements table, the specific terminology and the essential chemical reagents. The proposed standards were tested by mycologists from 11 countries who met at the Russula Microscopy Workshop in Slovakia. Descriptions of 26 species from 9 countries and four continents were prepared, among them R. amarissima, R. castanopsidis, R. seperina and R. subtilis are re-described and 15 species are introduced as new: R. abietiphila, R. amerorecondita, R. aurantioflava, R. echidna, R. flavobrunnescens, R. fluvialis, R. fortunae, R. garyensis, R. gemmata, R. laevis, R. madrensis, R. olivaceohimalayensis, R. purpureogracilis, R. sancti-pauli and R. wielangtae. Seven descriptions for candidate new species are provided without a formal name assignment. Pairwise comparison of species described in this study with available similar descriptions of related species suggests that microscopic characters from all parts of the basidiomata can be equally important for species recognition and they deserve the same treatment including number of measurements and statistics. The majority of recent studies does not recognise differences between the pileus margin and centre, but more than one-third of the species described in this study show distinct differences between the pileus areas, emphasizing the importance to specify the origin of pileipellis observations. This study proved that there is frequently insufficient difference in the ITS barcode between closely related species and that it is necessary to use more genetic markers combined with ecological and geographical data.

The Russula globispora lineage is a morphologically and phylogenetically well-defined group of ectomycorrhizal fungi occurring in various climatic areas. In this study we performed a multi-locus phylogenetic study based on collections from boreal, alpine and arctic habitats of Europe and Western North America, subalpine collections from the southeast Himalayas and collections from subtropical coniferous forests of Pakistan. European and North American collections are nearly identical and probably represent a single species named R. dryadicola distributed from the Alps to the Rocky Mountains. Collections from the southeast Himalayas belong to two distinct species: R. abbottabadensis sp. nov. from subtropical monodominant forests of Pinus roxburghii and R. tengii sp. nov. from subalpine mixed forests of Abies and Betula. The results suggest that speciation in this group is driven by a climate disjunction and adaptation rather than a host switch and geographical distance.