This issue of Mycological Research News features instability in ectomycorrhizal associations, and the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the internal structures of fungi.

This month's Mycological Research includes 17 papers. The first reports catastrophic rupture of germinating conidia in a Glomerella graminicola mutant. The discovery of effective primers for the separation of ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete species is reported, genetic transformation of a Cercospora with a particle gun has been achieved, ploidy and aneuploidy levels in Armillaria have been analyzed by fluorescence flow cytometry and molecular methods, the molecular phylogeny of Collybia s. str. investigated, and the identity of a fungus cultivated by a leaf-cutter ant confirmed molecularly.

Protein production in different states of Flammulina velutipes is compared, and a remarkable heterogeneity of incompatible genets of Heterobasidion annosum found in a single stump. The intracellular thermotolerant lipoxygenase of Thermomyces lanuginosus has been characterized, and cell-wall degrading enzymes of Colletotrichum acutatum examined.

The identification of Fusarium species by the computer imaging of macroconidia is assessed. Other systematic papers provide a revision of Hygrocybe subgen. Pseudohygrocybe sect. Firmae in the Greater Antilles, and describe: a new aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus, a new Ophiostoma on Protea, a new genus of smuts on Arthropodium, and five new ascomycetes from native plants in Mauritius.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Dendrocollybia, Pellucida, and Yelsemia gens. nov.; Aspergillus pseudotamarii, Englerodothis oleae, Hygrocybe brunneosquamosa, H. cinereofirma, H. flavocampanulata, H. laboyi, H. miniatofirma, H. neofirma, H. olivaceofirma, Lepteutypa tropicalis, Ophiostoma africanum, P. pendulina, Pseudorhynchia mauritiana, and Y. arthropodii spp. nov.; and D. racemosa (syn. Agaricus racemosus) comb. nov.