Xylobotryum portentosum (Mont.) Pat. (Xylobotryomycetes, Ascomycota): a rare fungal species newly found in Southeastern Brazil / Xylobotryum portentosum (Mont.) Pat. (Xylobotryomycetes, Ascomycota): uma espécie rara de fungo encontrada na Região Sudeste do Brasil

Abstract Xylobotrum portentosum (Mont.) Pat. is a striking Neotropical fungal species but it has been reported only a few times from Southern Brazil (States of Paraná and Santa Catarina), found in remnants of Atlantic Forest. Herein we report the species for the first time from the Southeastern Region of Brazil (State of São Paulo). A brief description and color photographs of the fresh specimen are presented.

Resumo Xylobotrum portentosum (Mont.) Pat. é uma espécie notável de fungo neotropical que foi registrada apenas poucas vezes para a Região Sul do Brasil (Paraná e Santa Catarina), encontrada em remanescentes de Mata Atlântica. Neste trabalho a espécie é reportada pela primeira vez para a Região Sudeste do Brasil (Estado de São Paulo). São apresentadas uma breve descrição e fotografias coloridas do espécime fresco.

Phylogenetic position of the yeast-like symbiotes of Tagosodes orizicolus (Homoptera: Delphacidae) based on 18S ribosomal DNA partial sequences

Tagosodes orizicolus Muir (Homoptera: Delphacidae), the endemic delphacid species of tropical America carries yeast-like symbiotes (YLS) in the abdominal fat bodies and the ovarial tissues, like other rice planthoppers of Asia. These YLS are obligate symbiotes, which are transmitted transovarially, and maintain a mutualistic relationship with the insect host. This characteristic has made in vitro culture and classification of YLS rather difficult using conventional methods. Nevertheless, microorganisms of similar characteristics have been successfully classified by using molecular taxonomy. In the present work, the YLS of Tagosodes orizicolus (YLSTo) were purified on Percoll gradients, and specific segments of 18S rDNA were amplified by PCR, cloned and sequenced. Sequences were aligned by means of the CLUSTAL V (DNASTAR) program; phylogenetic trees were constructed with the Phylogeny Inference Package (PHYLIP), showing that YLSTo belong to the fungi class Pyrenomycetes, phylum Ascomycota. Similarities between 98% and 100% were observed among YLS of the rice delphacids Tagosodes orizicolus, Nilaparvata lugens, Laodelphax striatellus and Sogatella fur cifera, and between 89.8% and 90.8% when comparing the above to YLS of the aphid Hamiltonaphis styraci. These comparisons revealed that delphacid YLS are a highly conserved monophyletic group within the Pyrenomycetes and are closely related to Hypomyces chrysospermus.