Mycological Research News features: Prototaxites: a 400 Myr old giant fossil, a saprotrophic holobasidiomycete or a lichen? and Non-deposit of voucher cultures.

Molecular studies examine the relationships of Rhynchosporium secalis, the species concepts in the Fusarium avenaceum/F. arthrosporioides/F. tricinctum species complex, and the intra- and intersporal genetic diversity of Glomus intraradices. The amino acid sequence of the RAD51 protein in Pleurotus ostreatus has been determined and compared to that in other fungi.

The growth of Fusarium sambucinum is shown to be inhibited by several salts. The effects of moisture and oxygen availability on rhizomorph generation in Armillaria tabescens have been compared with that of other species, and the growth, and appressorial formation in Metarhizium anisopliae was found to be affected by artificial media on which it is grown. The possibilities for the biocontrol of Botrytis cinerea using Ulocladium atrum as an antagonist have also been investigated.

Glycoproteins in the extracellular matrix formed around germ-tubes and appressoria in Colletotrichum lindemuthianum have been examined and compared with those in other species.

Sorosporella is found to be a synonym of Syngliocladium, and a new species with two varieties described from grasshoppers and locusts. The causal agent of a twig dieback of lingonberry is found to be a previously unrecognised Phomopsis species.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Phomopsis columnaris, and Syngliocladium acridiorum spp. nov.; and S. acridiorum var. madagascariensis var. nov.