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There were errors in the name of author Laszlo G. Nagy and in affiliation no. 31 in the original publication. The original article has been corrected.

Resupinatus odoratus sp.nov. is described from Kerala State and is characterized by a merulioid to poroid hymenophore, inamyloid basidiospores, clavate to coralloid cheilocystidia, gelatinised tissues, coralloid pileipellis elements in the ixocutis, a fragrant spicy odor, and a distinct nrITS sequence. A comprehensive description, photographs, and comparison with similar species are provided.

Hohenbuehelia odorata sp.nov. is described based on morphological and molecular data of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) region from Kerala State, India. The macro- and micromorphological features in conjunction with nrITS-based phylogenetic analysis performed using Maximum Likelihood (ML) method supported the novelty of H. odorata. Complete morphological descriptions, photographs and comparisons with similar species and a key to the Indian species of Hohenbuehelia are provided.

The cryptic lifestyle of most fungi necessitates molecular identification of the guild in environmental studies. Over the past decades, rapid development and affordability of molecular tools have tremendously improved insights of the fungal diversity in all ecosystems and habitats. Yet, in spite of the progress of molecular methods, knowledge about functional properties of the fungal taxa is vague and interpretation of environmental studies in an ecologically meaningful manner remains challenging. In order to facilitate functional assignments and ecological interpretation of environmental studies we introduce a user friendly traits and character database FungalTraits operating at genus and species hypothesis levels. Combining the information from previous efforts such as FUNGuild and FunFun together with involvement of expert knowledge, we reannotated 10,210 and 151 fungal and Stramenopila genera, respectively. This resulted in a stand-alone spreadsheet dataset covering 17 lifestyle related traits of fungal and Stramenopila genera, designed for rapid functional assignments of environmental studies. In order to assign the trait states to fungal species hypotheses, the scientific community of experts manually categorised and assigned available trait information to 697,413 fungal ITS sequences. On the basis of those sequences we were able to summarise trait and host information into 92,623 fungal species hypotheses at 1% dissimilarity threshold. Fungal traits · Trophic modes · Function · Guild · Bioinformatics · High-throughput sequencing · Community ecology

During ongoing studies of the mycoflora of Kerala State, India, three species of Crepidotus, namely, C. exilis A.M.Kumar & C.K.Pradeep sp. nov., C. globisporus A.M.Kumar & C.K.Pradeep sp. nov. and C. croceotinctus Peck, were discovered. These species are described and illustrated. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on maximum-likelihood analyses of nuclear ribosomal large subunit rDNA sequences are provided.

Two remarkable crepidotoid agarics were collected many times from Kerala State, India. Detailed morphological and molecular analysis indicated that one is an undescribed species of Crepidotus while the other represents Simocybe amara which represents a new Asian record. Complete morphological descriptions, photographs and comparisons with phenetically similar species are provided.

Background: Poisoning by different kinds of toxic mushrooms is unfortunately becoming an increasingly important medical problem, evident from the growing number of reports worldwide since the 1950s. Mycetism being a health concern, deserves scientific attention. In this perspective, the present study aims to assess the potential effects of ingesting the selected wild mushrooms from regions of the Western Ghats, India. Methods: The preliminary cytotoxicity of the selected mushrooms was studied in vitro on the intestinal NCM460 and the Chang's liver cell lines on the basis of cell viability. Further, the hepatotoxicity was assessed by measuring biologically relevant endpoints such as membrane integrity, mitochondrial stress and oxidative status. A 28 day sub-acute toxicity study was carried out by orally administering the mushroom extracts to mice at 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight. The hematological and serum analysis as well as histological examinations were carried out to evaluate their in vivo toxicity. GC-MS analysis of the mushrooms facilitated the identification of their volatile chemical profile. Result: The in vitro intestinal cytotoxicity exhibited by these wild mushrooms in comparison to the edible mushroom indicated their potential gastrointestinal toxicity. The pathological findings in small intestine on exposure to Chlorophyllum molybdites and Agaricus endoxanthus also validates the speculations about their intestinal toxicity. The toxic insult to the hepatocytes due to Amanita angustilamellata, Entoloma crassum, and Clarkeinda trachodes was predictive of the observed in vivo hepatotoxicity which was also accompanied by renal toxicity at the higher dose of 500 mg/kg bwt. Conclusion: The potential toxicity exhibited by these representative mushrooms from the wild warrants caution about their consumption. The present work could also have broader implications for global mycetism.

A new Asian species of Crepidotus (Basidiomycota, Agaricales), C. asiaticus, is presented based on morphological and nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS) and large subunit (28S) sequence data. This new species, found in India and Thailand, is characterized by the centrally stipitate medium-sized basidiomata, orange to reddish brown pileus, white to brownish orange lamellae, and white stipe. Based on morphology, C. asiaticus is similar to the neotropical C. thermophilus. However, the microscopic characters, especially the size and shape of the basidiospores, can be used to distinguish these two taxa, as well as their geographic distributions. Further, the phylogenetic position of C. asiaticus is unique based on ITS and 28S nuc rDNA sequences. Melanomphalia argipoda, described by Singer from Ecuador, is also a stipitate Crepidotus based on an ITS sequence of the type specimen, so the new combination is proposed here. Phylogenetically, the three species form a monophyletic group with the Asiatic C. asiaticus forming the sister lineage to the neotropical C. argipodus and C. thermophilus.

Background: Poisoning by different kinds of toxic mushrooms is unfortunately becoming an increasingly important medical problem, evident from the growing number of reports worldwide since the 1950s. Mycetism being a health concern, deserves scientific attention. In this perspective, the present study aims to assess the potential effects of ingesting the selected wild mushrooms from regions of the Western Ghats, India. Methods: The preliminary cytotoxicity of the selected mushrooms was studied in vitro on the intestinal NCM460 and the Chang's liver cell lines on the basis of cell viability. Further, the hepatotoxicity was assessed by measuring biologically relevant endpoints such as membrane integrity, mitochondrial stress and oxidative status. A 28 day sub-acute toxicity study was carried out by orally administering the mushroom extracts to mice at 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight. The hematological and serum analysis as well as histological examinations were carried out to evaluate their in vivo toxicity. GC-MS analysis of the mushrooms facilitated the identification of their volatile chemical profile. Result: The in vitro intestinal cytotoxicity exhibited by these wild mushrooms in comparison to the edible mushroom indicated their potential gastrointestinal toxicity. The pathological findings in small intestine on exposure to Chlorophyllum molybdites and Agaricus endoxanthus also validates the speculations about their intestinal toxicity. The toxic insult to the hepatocytes due to Amanita angustilamellata, Entoloma crassum, and Clarkeinda trachodes was predictive of the observed in vivo hepatotoxicity which was also accompanied by renal toxicity at the higher dose of 500 mg/kg bwt. Conclusion: The potential toxicity exhibited by these representative mushrooms from the wild warrants caution about their consumption. The present work could also have broader implications for global mycetism.

Introduction During our continuing study on the genus Entoloma of Kerala state, India, four more interesting species with cuboid spores were identified after our first paper on Entoloma went to press (Pradeep et al. 2012). It appears that cuboid spored species of Entoloma are quite well represented in Kerala. Prior to our study, Manimohan et al. (1995, 2002, 2006) described nine new cuboid spored species from the northern part of Kerala. Except for E. haematinum Manim., Leelav. & Noordel. and E. lomavrithum K.N.A. Raj & Manim. (Anil Raj & Manimohan 2012) all of the other species described in those papers have been re-collected by the authors. A key to all the known cuboid species of Entoloma from Kerala is provided together with detailed description of the four new species.

Eleven species of Inocybe, a highly diverse genus of ectomycorrhizal Agaricales, are documented from tropical India in Kerala State. Seven species are described as new. Furthermore, I. pileosulcata is reported from India for the first time. I. virosa, not previously validated, is validated here. Gross morphological and microscopic descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic affiliations are provided. Seven species feature nodulose or spinose basidiospores and belong to the Inocybe clade. The remaining four species are characterized by the combination of smooth spores and absence of pleurocystidia. Two of these share an alliance with the Pseudosperma clade, and the other two with the Inosperma clade. All 11 species likely share an ecological association with lowland tropical Dipterocarpaceae. The new combination I. mucidiolens is made (formerly I. calamistrata var. mucidiolens).

Auritella foveata C. K. Pradeep & Matheny is described as new from mixed evergreen forests in tropical India. The species is distinctive due to the combination of a pitted-rugulose pileus, smooth subglobose spores, and chains of elongated thick-walled cheilocystidia. The latter two traits characterise the tropical African species A. aureoplumosa (Watling) Matheny & Bougher. Phylogenetic analysis of a supermatrix of rpb1, rpb2, and nLSU-rRNA gene regions supports the placement of A. foveata as sister to the remaining species of Auritella, a genus with a paleotropical and southern hemisphere distribution. A key to all eight species of the genus is provided together with illustrations of the new species.

Two new species of Pluteus collected in Kerala State (India) are described based on morphological and molecular (nrITS) characters. Pluteus brunneosquamulosus of sect. Celluloderma is characterized by the squamulose, ‘Lepiota-like’, pileus, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid spores, cheilocystidia with a long flexuous neck and lageniform or narrowly utriform caulocystidia. Pluteus velutinus belongs in sect. Hispidoderma and is unique in its shallowly depressed, hygrophanous, orange-brown, \velvety, squamulose pileus, the pleurocystidia very commonly provided with an apical digitate projection up to 10 μm long or tapering towards apex and the pileipellis as a trichoderm or trichohymeniderm. P. chrysaegis from India and P. conizatus var. africanus from Africa are considered synonymous based on morphological and molecular evidence.

Two unusual species of Craterellus have been collected numerous times from the evergreen tropical forests in Kerala State, India. The species Craterellus albostrigosus and Craterellus inusitatus are described as new based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses of nrLSU-rDNA gene region. Complete morphological descriptions, photographs and comparisons with similar species are provided as well as a key to the known species of Craterellus from India.

In order to better understand species delimitation in the Pluteus glaucotinctus species complex, we present a detailed study based on morphological and DNA sequence (nrITS + tef1) data. Pluteus glaucotinctus sensu stricto is known only from the type collection (Democratic Republic of the Congo), which is re-examined here. Four other species are recognized in this complex and described herein as new: P. izurun from Spain, P. meridionalis from Brazil, P. padanilus from India and P. thoenii from Africa. Phylogenetic analyses based on nrITS + tef1 sequence data support the recognition of all species in this complex.

Hygrocybe rubida, a new species in subsection Squamulosae of section Coccinea, collected from tropical evergreen forests of Western Ghats of Kerala is formally described. The species is characterized by a bright red, dry pileus and stipe; ovoid to subamygdaliform spores; a distinctly sterile lamella-edge with crowded cheilocystidia and a trichodermial pileipellis.

A new species of Phylloporus from Kerala State, India is described, illustrated and discussed based on morphological and molecular characters. The phylogenetic relationship with related species based on ITS sequences is also provided.