Re-Identification of Aspergillus Subgenus Nidulantes Strains and Description of Three Unrecorded Species From Korea

Aspergillus subgenus Nidulantes with nine section forms the second largest subgenus of the fungi that comes under the genus Aspergillus. Species in this group of fungi are important as they are reported to play several important roles in the environment including influencing air quality in confined spaces, food spoilage, production of mycotoxins as well as in human pathogenicity. In the present study, 53 strains of Aspergillus subgenus Nidulantes (section: Nidulantes & Usti) isolated from Korea and preserved at the Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC) were subjected to re-identification by using a combined dataset of partial β-tubulin (BenA), Calmodulin (CaM) gene sequences as well as their morphological data. We confirmed 14 species from 53 isolates in Korea. Of them, eleven species were reported in Korea previously (A. amoenus, A. baeticus, A. calidoustus, A. creber, A. insuetus, A. jensenii, A. nidulans, A. protuberus, A. sydowii, A. tabacinus and A. unguis), and three species (A. griseoaurantiacus, A. puulaauensis and A. sublatus) were previously unreported from Korea. We detailed the characteristic features of these three species, that remain unexplored in Korea.

Re-Identification of Aspergillus Subgenus Circumdati Strains in Korea Led to the Discovery of Three Unrecorded Species

Aspergillus is one of the largest and diverse genera of fungi with huge economical, biotechnological, and social significance. Taxonomically, Aspergillus is divided into six subgenera comprising 27 sections. In this study, 235 strains of Aspergillus subgenus Circumdati (section: Candidi, Circumdati, Flavi, Flavipedes, Nigri, and Terrei) preserved at the Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC) were analyzed and re-identified using a combined dataset of partial β-tubulin (BenA), Calmodulin (CaM) gene sequences and morphological data. We confirmed nineteen species to be priorly reported in Korea (A. neotritici, A. terreus, A. floccosus, A. allahabadii, A. steynii, A. westerdijkiae, A. ochraceus, A. ostianus, A. sclerotiorum, A. luchuensis, A. tubingensis, A. niger, A. welwitschiae, A. japonicus, A. nomius, A. tamarii, A. parasiticus, A. flavi, and A. oryzae). Among the studied strains, three species (A. subalbidus, A. iizukae, and A. uvarum), previously unreported or not officially documented, were discovered in Korea, to the best of our knowledge. We have given a detailed description of the characteristic features of the three species, which remain uncharted in Korea.

Seven Unrecorded Indigenous Fungi from Mudeungsan National Park in Korea

Fungi act as important decomposers in the forest environment. They recycle essential nutrients, promote plant growth through mycorrhizal relationships, and act as food for small animals. Samples of 265 indigenous fungal species were collected from Mudeungsan National Park in 2020. These species were identified based on morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), nuclear large subunit rRNA (LSU), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) regions. Subsequently, seven species were identified as unrecorded species in Korea: Cordyceps cicadae, Dentocorticium bicolor, Hymenochaete nanospora, Physisporinus crataegi, Rigidoporus piceicola, Russula raoultii, and Scutellinia crinita. This study reveals their detailed macro- and microscopic morphological characteristics with phylogenetic trees to report them as unrecorded species in Korea.

Two Unrecorded Apiospora Species Isolated from Marine Substrates in Korea with Eight New Combinations (A. piptatheri and A. rasikravindrae)

Although Apiospora Sacc. has previously been considered a sexual morph of Arthrinium species on the basis of phylogenetic, morphological, and ecological diagnoses, a recent study delimited these as different species. Recently, 14 species, including eight new species, of marine Arthrinium have been reported from Korea. Six known species have previously been renamed as species in the genus Apiospora (A. arundinis, A. marii, A. piptatheri, A. rasikravindrae, A. sacchari, and A. saccharicola). However, the eight new species of marine Arthrinium (Ar. agari, Ar. arctoscopi, Ar. fermenti, Ar. koreanum, Ar. marinum, Ar. pusillispermum, Ar. sargassi, and Ar. taeanense) are yet to be studied, and thus the taxonomic status of these species remains to be clarified. In this study, we conducted phylogenetic analyses using the internal transcribed spacer, 28S large subunit ribosomal RNA gene, translation elongation factor 1-alpha, and beta-tubulin regions to confirm the phylogenetic position of these eight species. Based on these analyses, we re-identified the eight Arthrinium species as new combinations in Apiospora. Additionally, among the six known Apiospora species, two (A. piptatheri and A. rasikravindrae) have not previously been recorded in Korea. On the basis of morphological and molecular analyses, we report these as new species in Korea. Herein, we present scanning electron micrographs detailing the morphologies of these species, along with phylogenetic trees and detailed descriptions.

First Report of Six Macrofungi from Daecheongdo and Socheongdo Islands, Korea

Daecheongdo and Socheongdo Islands are located in the West Sea of Korea, 210 km away from land, and are military border areas very close to North Korea, making them difficult to access. Although the ecosystem of the islands is relatively well preserved due to the lack of accessibility, research on fungi of the regions is insufficient. Therefore, we aimed to investigate indigenous fungi in these geographically and geopolitically constrained regions. A survey of the indigenous fungal diversity of the islands was conducted in 2018. All specimens were identified at the species level based on morphological and molecular analyses. Among them, six macrofungi-namely, Agaricus menieri, Crepidotus praecipuus, Dichomitus squalens, Hortiboletus amygdalinus, Melanoleuca friesii, and Trametes lactinea-were not previously reported in Korea. Considering that the proportion of unrecorded species is high in the survey area and period as well as the number of samples collected, similar research on adjacent islands may be necessary.