Two little known species of Phallales, Mutinus zenkeri and Blumenavia angolensis, were collected on the volcanic island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea, Africa. Descriptions and in situ photographs are provided for both species. Inferences of their phylogenetic relationships within the Phallales are provided based on partial nucLSU rDNA sequence data.

Phylloporia nouraguensis sp. nov. is described on the basis of several collections made in French Guiana. The species was found growing on living (or occasionally dead), small apical twigs of a species of Myrcia (Myrtaceae), in the so-called “low forest” covering the upper slopes of the Nouragues inselberg.

Cantharellus eyssartierii sp. nov. is described from Uapaca stands in dense mountain forest near Ranomafana (eastern escarpment, Madagascar), and is recognized by its dull colors, pale and well-developed, poorly forking gill-folds and intense yellowing of the lower stipe. It shares near identical microscopic features with the very similar C. isabellinus var. parvisporus, a woodland taxon from mainland Africa. C. isabellinus s.s., as well as the extremely close, but two-spored C. croceifolius, differ microscopically from our species in their distinctly larger, more voluminous spores. The quite similar African C. tomentosus differs from all these species in its thick-walled hyphal extremities at the cap surface.

A new species of Clathrus (Phallomycetideae) with white receptacle, formerly assimilated to the African species C. baumii and C. preussii, is described and illustrated from various collections from the Caribbean and Venezuela. It is characterized by a lilaceous-pink to vinaceous peridium and a tropical habitat in mesophilic to meso-hygrophilic managed forests and plantations.

In this paper, we re-examine, re-describe and illustrate all sexual generic type specimens of Planistromellaceae including Comminutispora agavacearum, Eruptio acicola, Loratospora aestuarii, Microcyclus angolensis, Mycosphaerellopsis myricariae, Planistroma yuccigenum and Planistromella yuccifoliorum. We also use molecular data from GenBank to show the taxonomic placement of some of these genera. Members of family Planistromellaceae (Botryosphaeriales) are saprobes or pathogens on various plants and characterized by multi or uniloculate ascostromata which are erumpent through cracking or splitting of host tissues and have periphysate ostioles. The ascostromata comprise several layers of brown to black thick-walled cells, pseudoparaphyses are not obvious in mature specimens, and asci are bitunicate. The asexual morphs were previously reported to be found in the genera Aposphaeria-like, Fusicladium, Hyphospora, Kellermania, Lecanosticta, Pazschkeella and Piptarthron. Following this study, phylogenetic analyses based on molecular data from LSU and ITS genes provide strong support for the monophyly of the Planistromellaceae in the Botryosphaeriales, while the Planistromellaceae clade separates into three different groups represented by the type species of Piptarthron, Planistroma and Kellermania, respectively. We accept Kellermania (= Planistromella and possibly Piptarthron), Planistroma and Mycosphaerellopsis (the latter with no molecular support) in Planistromellaceae, while four other genera are redisposed of as follows: Comminutispora clusters in Capnodiales, Eruptio and Microcyclus have been shown to be members of Mycosphaerellaceae, and Loratospora has been shown to belong in Phaeosphaeriaceae.

The third, updated electronic version of the world list of cetrarioid lichens ( http://esamba.bo.bg.ut.ee/checklist/cetrarioid/home.php) contains more than 570 names representing 149 accepted species. It is based on a FileMaker powered database, allowing users to view data in different sets and to perform searches. The list presents new information about the phylogenetic status of accepted taxa, and about the type materials for most of the names. A concise list of the cetrarioid lichens displayed below includes all the currently accepted 25 genera and 149 species which are now or have earlier been considered to be cetrarioid; taxa belonging to the monophyletic cetrarioid core group (17 genera and 101 species) are pointed out. A new combination Nephromopsis sikkimensis is proposed and some nomenclatural details discussed.

The Botryosphaeriaceae represents an important, cosmopolitan family of latent pathogens infecting woody plants. Recent studies on native trees in southern Africa have revealed an extensive diversity of species of Botryosphaeriaceae, about half of which have not been previously described. This study adds to this growing body of knowledge, by discovering five new species of the Botryosphaeriaceae on Acacia karroo, a commonly occurring native tree in southern Africa. These species were isolated from both healthy and diseased tissues, suggesting they could be latent pathogens. The isolates were compared to other species for which DNA sequence data are available using phylogenetic analyses based on the ITS, TEF-1α, β-tubulin and LSU gene regions, and characterized based on their morphology. The morphological data were, however, useful to make comparisons with other species found in the same region and on similar hosts. The five new species were described as Diplodia allocellula, Dothiorella dulcispinae, Do. brevicollis, Spencermartinsia pretoriensis and Tiarosporella urbis-rosarum. Evidence emerging from this study suggests that many more species of the Botryosphaeriaceae remain to be discovered in the southern Africa.