Supplement to Mycologia Vol. 53(1) February 2002 Newsletter of the Mycological Society of America -- In This Issue -- A Strange New Fungus Among Us! by Orson K. Miller, Jr. Strange New Fungus ................................ 1-2 Range Extension for Fern ........................ 2-3 Questions or comments should be sent to Orson Miller via Department of MSA Official Business Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24061 or email: <[email protected]> or <[email protected] >. From the President .................................. 4 MSA Email Express ................................ 4 O FUNGUS IN RECENT YEARS has provided the challenge of this 2002 MSA Foray .................................... 4 very strange fruiting body which appeared to be a relative of Important Announcements ............... 5-6 Nthe Gasteromycetes. However, the development of a mature Honorary Members Nomination ............. 5 spore layer which was then elevated from the endoperidium by a stalk 2002 MSA Membership Directory......... 5 in the form of a mazedium was a strange developmental pattern. Of Forms several interesting potential Gasteromycetes sent to me by Terry Henkel following one of his expeditions to Guyana, it was obvious to Change of Address ............................. 13 me that one in particular should be sequenced and attempts to do this Endowment & Contributions ............. 16 were carried out in 1999. The blast search indicated a close relation- Gift Membership ............................... 18 ship to Penicillium and the sequence was assumed to be that of a Society Membership .......................... 19 contaminant. We were even more determined to get additional Mycological News ................................... 6-7 sequences during the next expedition to Guyana and this was done. Mycologist’s Bookshelf ........................ 8-10 Meanwhile the SEM pictures of the spores also revealed a different Mycological Classifieds ....................... 10-13 morphology than was common for a Gasteromycete. The search for Positions, Goods & Services, Fungi, the sexual stage proved fruitless with only mature spores present Publications wanted, Workshops, Upcoming Mycological Meetings even in the very small unopened fruiting bodies. The picture below Mycology On-Line ................................... 14 shows the stages of maturation of the fruiting body which is also Calendar of Events ............................... 14-15 very well illustrated in the Mycological Research article cited below. Sustaining Members ............................ 17-18 The illustrations in the article show a sectional view of the stalk and its origin within the volvate base. The news item that follows on the ~ Important Dates ~ next page by Dr. Redhead, as well as the article, appear in Mycologi- February 15 — Deadline: Inoculum 53(2) cal Research 105(10) October 2001, which is just reaching many mycologists as Inoculum goes to press. January 31: Mentor Student Travel Forms February 15: Undergraduate Research Forms March 1: Graduate Fellowships and Research Awards Nominations March 15: MSA Distinctions Nominations June 22-26: MSA 2002, Corvallis OR August 11-17: IMC VII, Oslo, Norway July 27-31: MSA 2003, Asilomar CA Editor — Donald G. Ruch Department of Biology Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306-0440 USA 765.285.8829 FAX 765.285.8804 [email protected] MSA Homepage: Pseudotulostoma volvata. Photo by Orson Miller. http://msafungi.org Pseudotulostoma: the Find most highly differentiated ascomata of any of the Century? member of the Eurotiales found to date. Keen detective work and persistence under So commented one of the reviewer’s of difficult field conditions paid off. The the paper by Miller et al. (2001) included existence of Pseudotulostoma has been in this issue which describes one of the hidden by its remote habitat and the late most unusual fungi to be found at least discovery of pockets of ectomycorrhizal in recent years. The new genus and trees in tropical South America. This is a species, Pseudotulostoma volvata, is an second coup for Henkel who also rediscov- ascomycete which is a sister taxon to ered Singer’s pleurotoid Lactarius species Elaphomyces, and comes from Guyana in in the same forests and described their one of the most inaccessible forests so Orson K. Miller Jr. unusual biology for the first time (Henkel, far surveyed for fungi. However, unlike Aime & Miller 2000). Those fungi form its hypogeous, truffle-like Elaphomyces massive subicular sheaths on tree trunks in relative, Pseudotulostoma produces which mycorrhizal rootlets grow and on stalked and volvate ascomata resembling which the lactarius fruit bodies arise. Both the basidiomycete genera Chlamydopus Pseudotulostoma and the pleurotoid and Tulostoma. The uncanny similarity, a Lactarius species are evidently adapted to result of evolutionary convergence, exceedingly wet tropical forest floors. combined with the absence of either -- Scott A. Redhead basidia or asci from very early stages of The collection sites are in the remote maturation, as also occurs in Elapho- Pakaraima Mountains in Guyana, where The Publications myces, so fooled the authors, referees, one of the authors, Terry Henkel, is Henkel, T, Aime, MC & Miller, SL (2000) and editors that it was almost described extensively sampling ectomycorrhizal fungi Systematics of pleurotoid Russulaceae as a new genus of basidiomycetes. Initial associated with Dicymbe trees. Repeated from Guyana and Japan, with notes on molecular work suggested that it was an sampling yielded more collections, and their ectomycorrhizal status. Mycologia ascomycete close to the Eurotiales. This renewed molecular sampling confirmed the 92: 1119-1132. was so surprising that the DNA was pre- initial molecular results. Placement near Miller, 0K Jr, Henkel, T, James, TY & Miller, sumed to have come from a contaminant; Elaphomyces clinched the realization that SL (2001) Pseudotulostoma, a remarkable contamination by moulds such as Peni- this was correct. What was almost thrown new volvategenus in the Elaphomy- cillium which belongs to the Eurotiales out as corrupted data proved to be cetaceae from Guyana. Mycological is a common phenomenon in the tropics. information on a unique genus with the Research 105: 1268-1272.n Range Extension for Fern by Harold Keller Question and comments should be sent to Harold W. Keller, Department of Biology, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, MO 64093 or email: <[email protected]>. Dr. Harold Keller’s tree climbing team tists. Keller and his group were also from Central Missouri State University filmed by the Heartland Series for a continues to find interesting records piece expected to be aired in mid- from the Smokies’ stands of old growth September. forest. On August 2, they found -- Keith Langdon, Ranger Common Polypody ferns up 130 feet in Inventory & Monitoring Supervisor huge tulip trees on the Ramsey GSMNP Cascades trail. While ferns are common on the ground and especially on low mossy boulders in the Park, we have never heard of them this far up in a tree. If their above ground “altitudinal Polypodium appalachianum habit (right). range” is just a few feet, this record Plants perennial, erect and epiphytic in tree certainly smashes the old record. The canopy on horizontal branch. Blades climbers also have found several deltate, widest at or near the base. species of snails as far as 90 feet above Underside of blade with segments showing the ground in trees. The snails are round sori (clusters of sporangia). Photo being identified by other ATBI scien- by Harold Keller. 2 Additional Comments Prepared by Harold W. Keller More new records and new species of Myxomycetes have been found. Echinostelium elachiston is a rare and misunderstood myxomycete species known only from Kansas in the United States. This species developed in moist chamber culture on bark collected from white ash at a height of 21 meters in the area of Baxter Creek near Big Creek Shown here is Marasmiellus opacus (Berk. Campground. A new species of Diachea & Curt.) Singer fruiting on the upper restricted to the upper canopy above 10 surface of a horizontal branch at about 6 meters was found at varying heights up meters. Fruiting bodies were scattered all along this branch mixed with Mycena to 25 meters. Plasmodial tracks covered supina sensu AH Smith, pro parte. Jean the bark in certain areas and stalked Lodge identified these specimens. Photo by sporangia were collected by climbers Harold Keller. directly from the bark of living white oak Fruiting body of Lentaria byssiseda, a small trees. Slugs were observed selectively clavarioid basidiomycete on living black oak, feeding on immature fruiting bodies of Quercus velutina. Apparently the fruiting bodies Television Storyline the myxomycete Stemonitis axifera on a always grow on trunks of living trees. These A television feature entitled “A Study decaying log on ground sites. The same specimens extended from about 3 to 6 meters with a View” with a running time five slug species were also found in the tree scattered along the bark surface of the tree. This minutes was part of WBIR’s Heartland canopy at heights of 10 to 20 meters tree was located in the GSMNP at the junction of Series. Bill Landry is the host/narrator and associated with seeping wounds or the Schoolhouse Gap Road and the Turkey Pen co-producer since the Heartland Series was water-filled knot holes. A number of new Ridge Trail sign. Identification through the courtesy of Ron Petersen at the University of conceived