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A new species of Xanthagaricus, is described based on collections made from Chichawatni Forest, District Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan. It is characterized by medium-sized basidiomata, pale-yellowish pileus with yellowish to dark brown squamules, and small oblong to ellipsoid yellowish basidiospores (3.99–4.87 × 2.12–2.85 µm). Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS) and D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (28S) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA, also support the finding that Xanthagaricus montgomeryensis is distinct from other known species within the genus Xanthagaricus.

A new species of Erysiphe infecting Duthie’s bay tree in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan, is described and illustrated based on molecular and morphological analyses. Erysiphe machilicola sp. nov. is morphologically distinct from other Erysiphe species on hosts of the Lauraceae by having longer conidiophores, larger chasmothecia with longer appendages, above all, it is distinguished from E. machiliana, the only so far known Erysiphe species on Machilus, by lacking bristle-like appendages (remnant of anchor hyphae) and a different phylogenetic position, confirmed by sequence analyses of the type material of the latter species. The phylogenetic relationship of the new species to other closely related species is discussed based on ITS rDNA sequences, which phylogenetically supports its identity as a new species within the genus Erysiphe. A comprehensive description along with photographs and a phylogram showing its exact phylogenetic position and a comparison with closely related taxa is provided.

A new agaric species, Leucoagaricus thallensis, a member of La. sect. Leucoagaricus is described and illustrated from Pakistan. This species is mainly recognized by the combination of the orange-red fibrillose pileus with a white background, the fibrils on the stipe, and the volva. Data on macromorphology, micromorphology, DNA sequences (nrITS and nrLSU), habitat and comparison with closely related taxa are provided for each. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic differences separate our species from all other known species of Leucoagaricus proving its novelty. This study is the first contemporary taxonomic work on Leucoagaricus species from Noorpur Thal, district Khushab.

A new species belonging to the Rusticoides clade of Entoloma, with an omphalinoid habit is described from Pakistan with detailed morphological descriptions, illustrations and molecular data. Illustrations of microcharacteristics and comparison with closely allied species are provided. Entoloma griseofibrillosus is distinguished based on a greyish brown, hygrophanous fibrillose pileus, sub-isodiametric angular spores, varying shapes of cheilocystidia and a pileipellis as a cutis. Phylogenetic estimation based on nrITS and nrLSU regions with a well-nested position of the described taxon is presented in the current study.

During surveys of macrofungi in Pakistan, eight specimens belonging to the genus Lactocollybia were collected from the plains of Punjab and foothills of Murree. Morphological studies and molecular characterization refer all collections to a single species, Lactocollybia variicystis, previously restricted to Africa and Europe; this is the first report from Asia. Except for geography, no significant differences were found among African, European, and Pakistani collections.

A comprehensive study of a powdery mildew observed on leaves of Celtis tetrandra Roxb. was carried out by the authors. The symptoms appeared as white mycelium on leaves with embedded small black to brown spherical ascomata. Infected plants were collected from Thandiani (District Abbottabad, Division Hazara) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, during a phytopathogenic survey in 2019. The causal agent was observed and identified on the basis of morphological and molecular analyses, which reveals that this fungus belongs to genus Pleochaeta. Further investigation identified it as Pleochaeta indica. This is the first report of a powdery mildew infection caused by this pathogen in Pakistan. A complete description and illustrations of the fungus are presented.

During a survey of the lichens in the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, many specimens were collected from the Jhelum and Neelum valley and characterized using morpho-anatomical, molecular and chemical test methods. Two taxa new for Pakistan, i.e., Physciella chloanta and Xanthoparmelia protomatrae s. l., were found in the collection while Physconia enteroxantha represent range extensions within Pakistan. Morpho-anatomical descriptions, ecology and distribution are provided.

Two new species in the genus Russula, viz. R. bhurbanensis and R. quercicola collected from coniferous forests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, Pakistan are described and illustrated. Russula bhurbanensis is characterized by its large-sized basidiomata with a viscid, orange to dark brown pileus, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, medium-sized basidiospores having isolated to occasionally fused warts with rare line connections. Russula quercicola is characterized by medium-sized, orange to dark brown, hemispherical to infundibuliform pileus with incurved margins, globose and partially reticulate basidiospores with warts connected in long chains and thicker line connections. Some of the shared morphological features; like centrally depressed, viscous, dark brown pileus with tuberculate striated margins, adnexed lamellae, hollow stipe and unpleasant fotid odor confirm that both species belong to sect. Ingratae (subgenus Heterophyllidia) in Russula. Similarly, phylogenetic analyses of both species based on ITS and LSU sequences also proved their distinctive positions as two new species of Russula.

A novel mushroom, occurring on sandy soil was collected from scrubland of Gujrat district, Pakistan. Phylogenetic analyses of the nrDNA ITS region revealed that it clusters within Leucoagaricus section Leucoagaricus. Further morpho-anatomical analyses confirmed its uniqueness, and it is here described as Leucoagaricus gujratensis sp. nov. The distinguishing characters of this novel taxon are fragile basidiomata with brown to light brown squamules in the center on milky white pileus surface; creamy stipe with white central annulus; lacrymoid to amygdaliform basidiospores (5.4–8.6 × 3.9–5.5 μm) and clavate to slightly fusiform and fabiform cheilocystidia. The new mushroom resembles La. candidus in appearance but the morpho-anatomical and molecular characters prove its novelty. The number of Leucoagaricus species in Pakistan has reached up to 14.

Marasmius margallensis sp. nov. of sect. Sicci from Margalla hills, Islamabad, Pakistan, is described and illustrated, based on morphological characteristics and multigene phylogenetic analyses. The taxon is characterized by a pale yellow to dull orange pileus with light gray margins, clavate to narrowly fusiform basidiospores, rather short pleurocystidia and hymeniderm pileipellis with Siccus-type broom-cells. Marasmius pulcherripes is closest relative of the newly described species M. margallensis in sect. Sicci in phylogenetic analyses but the later one is distinct by macro-, and micro-morphological features and molecular data.

Pluteus variabilicolor and Volvopluteus earlei are reported as new records for the Pakistani funga, with the former representing a new record for South Asia and the latter, a second report from Asia. Morphological descriptions are accompanied by colored photographs of basidiomata and microscopic structures. Identity of both species is confirmed by ITS sequence analyses. Comparison with previous descriptions and data on their distributions are briefly discussed.

During August–September 2018, powdery mildew symptoms were observed on both surfaces of leaves of Isodon rugosus in the Abbottabad and Malakand districts of Pakistan. The causal agent was identified as Erysiphe bunkiniana, based on its asexual morph and chasmothecia, and its identity was confirmed by molecular data. This is the first Pakistani report of Erysiphe bunkiniana and the first sequence obtained for this powdery mildew species.

Moniliophthora pakistanica sp. nov. is described from Punjab, Pakistan, based on micro- and morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis. The taxon is characterized by a creamy to brownish basidiomes, a depressed or subumbonate and tomentose pileus with distinct orange to brown zones, a hairy stipe, oblong to ellipsoid basidiospores (4.7–8.5 × 4–6 μm), frequent clavate to flexuous cheilo- and pleurocystidia with apical projections, common long setiform terminal hairs in both pileipellis and stipitipellis, rhizomophs, and growth on fallen plant debris. A detailed description of macro- and microscopic characters and field photographs of collections are given. Based on our phylogenetic analysis, M. iopus is found to be a close relative of the new species. Two phylograms inferred from the datasets of nrITS and nrLSU sequences, and a comparison with phylogenetically closely related species are provided.

Two species of Tricholoma, T. bonii and T. triste, are reported as new records for Pakistan. Phylogenetic analysis based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) region clustered the Pakistani collections with T. bonii and T. triste sequences from previous worldwide collections. Detailed descriptions of macro- and microcharacters, habitat, general distribution, and diagnostic features are presented.

During recent fieldwork at Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan), many basidiomycetes of the genus Cortinarius were collected from mixed coniferous Himalayan temperate forests. Their morphological characterization and phylogenetic analyses based on ITS and LSU sequence data yielded a well-delimited, new species within C. subgenus Telamonia sect Disjungendi. It is characterized by producing small and dry basidiomata with blackish brown conico-convex pilei when young and uplifted at maturity, dark brown lamellae, a fibrillose stipe and small basidiospores (9.4 × 5.5 µm in average).

In recent studies, new species and sections were described in Agaricus subg. Spissicaules. We intended to update this subgenus by including all these recent taxa, some interesting sequences retrieved in GenBank, and two new collections from the Punjab Province, Pakistan. Both morphological and phylogenetic approaches were used. Maximum Likelihood tree based on rDNA ITS sequences revealed that the sequences of the new specimens from Pakistan form a clade with five sequences from India retrieved from GenBank. For the seven samples of this clade, we described the new species Agaricus radiatosquamulosus based on the morphology of the two collections from Pakistan. This new species, which belongs to the recently proposed A. sect. Fulventes was compared to the three other species of this section. Except for the small-sized A. nanofulvus, the other species are difficult to recognize without DNA sequence data. The four species differ from each other at a poly T in ITS2. In addition, each of them is distributed on different continents. Agaricus radiatosquamulosus is the first report of a species of A. subg. Spissicaules in Pakistan. In addition, a sequence from GenBank identified as A. lanatoniger matches with another sample from New Zealand in A. sect. subrutilescentes. In absence of formally published taxonomic treatment, we provisionally named these samples A. cf. lanatoniger.

During surveys in the rainy season, a few collections of a novel Volvariella species were found on the decomposed matter, and sandy soil from the bed of the Indus River, Muzaffargarh, and Noorpur Thal, Khushab, Punjab, Pakistan. Phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) has confirmed that this new species (namely Volvariella variicystidiosa) forms a separate clade from the previously known species of Volvariella. Volvariella variicystidiosa differs from a closely related species, V. taylorii, by its dull brown umbo and grayish brown striations on the pileus toward the margins, dull orange lamellae, and anatomically light yellow to gray pileipellis. Our new taxon is also different from existing species by having cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia with a broad variation of shapes and sizes. Abundant cheilocystidia are cymbiform to mucronate, narrowly to broadly moniliform with a broad base, and rarely broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid with obtuse apex, triangular to conical; pleurocystidia are moderately ellipsoid, rarely flexuous and oblong. Our findings provide evidence that this fungus represents a new taxon and it is a great addition to our current knowledge of the vast diversity of Volvariella species.

The genus Ramaria is globally distributed, inhabiting different substrates. In the present study, samples of R. barenthalensis were collected during a fungal survey from Neelum valley AJK, Pakistan. Identification was carried out through combined morpho-anatomical and molecular data from nrITS region, which confirmed the identification as R. barenthalensis. The taxon is a new record for fungi of AJK, Pakistan.

Gerhardtia foliicola is reported as a new record for Pakistan. The species is characterized by a reddish brown and hygrophanous pileus, densely crowded lamellae, small sized ellipsoid basidiospores with irregular outline and occurrence on leaf litter and humus in broadleaf forests. Our phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) region clustered the Pakistani collections in the same clade with G. foliicola sequences from Japan. Detailed description of macro- and micro-characters, habitat, general distribution, and diagnostic features important for delimiting G. foliicola from closely related taxa are presented.

During our surveys of mushrooms in 2019 and 2020, an interesting species of the genus Lepiota was collected from three different areas of Punjab (Bahawalnagar, Sheikhupura, and Muzaffarghar), Pakistan. These areas vary in their altitude and somewhat climatic conditions, nevertheless, morpho-anatomical comparisons and molecular analyses proved that these collections represented the same taxon, described here as Lepiota brunneogranulosa. This new species is characterized by a pileus with a yellowish-brown central disc, with brown colored granules on a very pale brown background, dextrinoid, ellipsoid basidiospores, frequently bi-sporic basidia, and narrowly clavate cheilocystidia. Because of the hymeniform pileus covering, and the placement in the phylogeny, based on Internal Transcribed Spacer (nrITS) and Larger Subunit (LSU), it belongs to the Lepiota sect. Lilaceae.

The newly described species, Lecidella iqbalii sp. nov., is so far only known from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. A comparative morpho-anatomical study combined with a phylogenetic analysis based on the marker ITS placed this species together with two accessions from southern South America in a distinct and highly supported group at the base of the Lecidella stigmatea clade. The taxon is characterized by a shiny thallus, strongly convex apothecia, a thin excipulum, a dark brown epihymenium and relatively small ascospores (10-) 11-12 (-13) × (6-) 6.5-8(-9) µm.

A new species, Pseudosperma albobrunneum, is described and illustrated. The specimens are from different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The identification is based on morphological characters, in combination with molecular phylogenetic analysis of sequences of the ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. The species is found distinct morphologically from all closely related taxa, and molecular data confirm its novelty.

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