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 records of sexual-asexual morph connections, new hosts and new geographical distributions. Twelve new genera comprise Brunneofusispora, Brunneomurispora, Liua, Lonicericola, Neoeutypella, Paratrimmatostroma, Parazalerion, Proliferophorum, Pseudoastrosphaeriellopsis, Septomelanconiella, Velebitea and Vicosamyces. Seventy-four new species are Agaricus memnonius, A. langensis, Aleurodiscus patagonicus, Amanita flavoalba, A. subtropicana, Amphisphaeria mangrovei, Baorangia major, Bartalinia kunmingensis, Brunneofusispora sinensis, Brunneomurispora lonicerae, Capronia camelliae-yunnanensis, Clavulina thindii, Coniochaeta simbalensis, Conlarium thailandense, Coprinus trigonosporus, Liua muriformis, Cyphellophora filicis, Cytospora ulmicola, Dacrymyces invisibilis, Dictyocheirospora metroxylonis, Distoseptispora thysanolaenae, Emericellopsis koreana, Galiicola baoshanensis, Hygrocybe lucida, Hypoxylon teeravasati, Hyweljonesia indica, Keissleriella caraganae, Lactarius olivaceopallidus, Lactifluus midnapurensis, Lembosia brigadeirensis, Leptosphaeria urticae, Lonicericola hyaloseptispora, Lophiotrema mucilaginosis, Marasmiellus bicoloripes, Marasmius indojasminodorus, Micropeltis phetchaburiensis, Mucor orantomantidis, Murilentithecium lonicerae, Neobambusicola brunnea, Neoeutypella baoshanensis, Neoroussoella heveae, Neosetophoma lonicerae, Ophiobolus malleolus, Parabambusicola thysanolaenae, Paratrimmatostroma kunmingensis, Parazalerion indica, Penicillium dokdoense, Peroneutypa mangrovei, Phaeosphaeria cycadis, Phanerochaete australosanguinea, Plectosphaerella kunmingensis, Plenodomus artemisiae, P. lijiangensis, Proliferophorum thailandicum, Pseudoastrosphaeriellopsis kaveriana, Pseudohelicomyces menglunicus, Pseudoplagiostoma mangiferae, Robillarda mangiferae, Roussoella elaeicola, Russula choptae, R. uttarakhandia, Septomelanconiella thailandica, Spencermartinsia acericola, Sphaerellopsis isthmospora, Thozetella lithocarpi, Trechispora echinospora, Tremellochaete atlantica, Trichoderma koreanum, T. pinicola, T. rugulosum, Velebitea chrysotexta, Vicosamyces venturisporus, Wojnowiciella kunmingensis and Zopfiella indica. Three new combinations are Baorangia rufomaculata, Lanmaoa pallidorosea and Wojnowiciella rosicola. The reference specimens of Canalisporium kenyense and Tamsiniella labiosa are designated. The epitype of Sarcopeziza sicula is re-circumscribed based on cyto- and histochemical analyses. The sexual-asexual morph connection of Plenodomus sinensis is reported from ferns and Cirsium for the first time. In addition, the new host records and country records are Amanita altipes, A. melleialba, Amarenomyces dactylidis, Chaetosphaeria panamensis, Coniella vitis, Coprinopsis kubickae, Dothiorella sarmentorum, Leptobacillium leptobactrum var. calidus, Muyocopron lithocarpi, Neoroussoella solani, Periconia cortaderiae, Phragmocamarosporium hederae, Sphaerellopsis paraphysata and Sphaeropsis eucalypticola.

Species of Laccaria (Hydnangiaceae, Basidiomycota) are important in forest ecosystems as ectomycorrhizal fungi. Nine of the 75 described Laccaria species worldwide been reported from Korea. Most of these have European and North American names, and their identities are based solely on morphological features. To evaluate the taxonomy of Korean Laccaria, we used 443 specimens collected between 1981 and 2016 in a phylogenetic analysis based on sequence data from nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA (ITS) region, nuc 28S rDNA (28S), RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (rpb2), and translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1). Ten Laccaria species were identified. Three of these were previously reported from Korea: L. bicolor, L. tortilis, and L. vinaceoavellanea. Laccaria alba, L. japonica, and L. murina are confirmed as new reports from Korea. Lastly, four new Laccaria species are described: L. araneosa, L. parva, L. torosa, and L. versiforma. This study supports the general contention that Asian species of ectomycorrhizal fungi may not be conspecific with morphologically similar species from Europe and North America. Furthermore, identification based on morphology alone is often unreliable in Laccaria due to considerable overlap of characters among species. Thus, use of molecular methods is necessary for effective identification. Illustrations of the four newly described species and a taxonomic key to species of Laccaria in Korea are provided.

Species in the genus Ganoderma include several ecologically important and pathogenic fungal species whose medicinal and economic value is substantial. Due to the highly similar morphological features within the Ganoderma, identification of species has relied heavily on DNA sequencing using BLAST searches, which are only reliable if the GenBank submissions are accurately labeled. In this study, we examined 113 specimens collected from 1969 to 2016 from various regions in Korea using morphological features and multigene analysis (internal transcribed spacer, translation elongation factor 1-α, and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II). These specimens were identified as four Ganoderma species: G. sichuanense, G. cf. adspersum, G. cf. applanatum, and G. cf. gibbosum. With the exception of G. sichuanense, these species were difficult to distinguish based solely on morphological features. However, phylogenetic analysis at three different loci yielded concordant phylogenetic information, and supported the four species distinctions with high bootstrap support. A survey of over 600 Ganoderma sequences available on GenBank revealed that 65% of sequences were either misidentified or ambiguously labeled. Here, we suggest corrected annotations for GenBank sequences based on our phylogenetic validation and provide updated global distribution patterns for these Ganoderma species.

Tricholoma matsutake, the pine mushroom, is a valuable forest product with high economic value in Asia, and plays an important ecological role as an ectomycorrhizal fungus. Around the host tree, T. matsutake hyphae generate a distinctive soil aggregating environment called a fairy ring, where fruiting bodies form. Because T. matsutake hyphae dominate the soil near the fairy ring, this species has the potential to influence the microbial community. To explore the influence of T. matsutake on the microbial communities, we compared the microbial community and predicted bacterial function between two different soil types—T. matsutake dominant and T. matsutake minor. DNA sequence analyses showed that fungal and bacterial diversity were lower in the T. matsutake dominant soil compared to T. matsutake minor soil. Some microbial taxa were significantly more common in the T. matsutake dominant soil across geographic locations, many of which were previously identified as mycophillic or mycorrhiza helper bacteria. Between the two soil types, the predicted bacterial functional profiles (using PICRUSt) had significantly distinct KEGG modules. Modules for amino acid uptake, carbohydrate metabolism, and the type III secretion system were higher in the T. matsutake dominant soil than in the T. matsutake minor soil. Overall, similar microbial diversity, community structure, and bacterial functional profiles of the T. matsutake dominant soil across geographic locations suggest that T. matsutake may generate a dominance effect.

Tricholoma matsutake (pine mushroom, PM) is a prized mushroom in Asia due to its unique flavor and pine aroma. The fruiting body of PM forms only in its natural habitat (pine forest), and little is known regarding the natural conditions required for successful generation of the fruiting bodies in this species. Recent studies suggest that microbial interactions may be associated with the growth of PM; however, there have been few studies of the bacterial effects on PM growth. In this study, we surveyed which bacteria can directly and indirectly promote the growth of PM by using co-cultures with PM and molds associated with the fruiting body. Among 16 bacterial species isolated from the fruiting body, some species significantly influenced the mycelial growth of PM and molds. Most bacteria negatively affected PM growth and exhibited various enzyme activities, which suggests that they use the fruiting body as nutrient source. However, growth-promoting bacteria belonging to the Dietzia, Ewingella, Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, and Rodococcus were also found. In addition, many bacteria suppressed molds, which suggests an indirect positive effect on PM as a biocontrol agent. Our results provide important insights toward a better understanding of the microbial interactions in the fruiting body of PM, and indicate that growth-promoting bacteria may be an important component in successful cultivation of PM.

Distinguishing individual Russula species has been difficult due to extensive phenotypic plasticity and obscure morphological and anatomical discontinuities. Due to highly similar macroscopic featu...