Fungal strains naturally occurring on the wood and leaves of the salt-excreting desert tree Tamarix were isolated and characterized for their ability to produce cellulose- and starch-degrading enzymes. Of the 100 isolates, six fungal species were identified by ITS1 sequence analysis. No significant differences were observed among taxa isolated from wood samples of different Tamarix species, whi...

Most small genera containing yeast species in the Pucciniomycotina (Basidiomycota, Fungi) are monophyletic, whereas larger genera including Bensingtonia, Rhodosporidium, Rhodotorula, Sporidiobolus and Sporobolomyces are polyphyletic. With the implementation of the "One Fungus = One Name" nomenclatural principle these polyphyletic genera were revised. Nine genera, namely Bannoa, Cystobasidiopsis...

An organism commonly referred to as 'megabacterium' colonizes the gastric isthmus of many species of birds. It is weakly gram-positive and periodic acid-Schiff-positive and stains with silver stains. Previous studies have shown that it has a nucleus and a cell wall similar to those seen in fungi. Calcofluor white M2R staining suggests that the cell wall contains chitin, a eukaryote-specific sub...

Two new species of Cladosporium found on necrotic needles of Pinus ponderosa trees in Patagonia, Argentina, are described as C. chubutense and C. pini-ponderosae. An additional isolate from dead leaves of Cortaderia collected in Colombia, which is a sister taxon to the species occurring on Pinus, is described as Cladosporium colombiae. These species are phylogenetically closely related, but dif...

A comprehensive phylogenetic reassessment of the ascomycete genus Cosmospora (Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) is undertaken using fresh isolates and historical strains, sequences of two protein encoding genes, the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (rpb2), and a new phylogenetic marker, the larger subunit of ATP citrate lyase (acl1). The result is an extensive revision of taxonomic concepts,...

A new type of diffraction range finder is disclosed that places the primary grating at an angle of grazing incidence relative to the receiver. The new design offers improvements over earlier prototypes in reduced package size, reduced chirp depth and a highly anamorphic behavior that provides a high profile to depth ratio. Demonstrations with transmission and reflection types of diffraction gra...