Collection and identification of fungi Iran

This study was carried out during 2003-07 in order to collect and identify the fungi of Iran. The fungi were collected during excursions to different parts of Iran or were collected by other researchers. The isolation of fungi were carried out using a sterilized glass needle under a sterio-microscope and were streaked on PDA and MA containing 100 ppm of penicillin and streptomycin to prevent bacterial growth. During present study 40 species of Zygomycota including VAM fungi were identified. The following taxa are newly reported for Iran: Absidia spinosa, Actinomucor elegans, Batkoa apiculata, Cunninghamella echinulata var. echinulata, Cunninghamella echinulata var. nodosa, Cunninghamella echinulata var. verticillata, Gilbertella persicaria, Mucor circinelloides f. lusitanicus, Mucor circinelloides f. circinelloides, Mucor hiemalis f. luteus, Mucor inaequisporus, Mucor plumbeus, Mucor racemosus f. racemosus, Mucor ramosissimus, Mucor variosporus, Pandora dipterigena and Zygorhynchus heterogamus. Several hyphomycetous species were identified. They belonged to 19 genera including Acremonium, Fusarium, Cladobotryum, Sepedonium, Lecanicillium, Simplicillium, Trichoderma, Acrostalagmus, Clonostachys, Cylindrocarpon, Gibellula, Hirsutella, Hirudinaria, Humicola, Isaria, Paecillium, Penicillium, Pochonia and Verticillium. This is the first report of members of Gibellula, Hirsutella, Humicola and Acrostalagmus from Iran. Ten species, Acrostalagmus luteoalbus, Gibellula leiopus, Hirsutella versicolor, Humicola grisea, Lecanicillium psalliotae, L. wallacei, Penicillium vulpinum, Verticillium leptobactrum, and Trichia varia are new records for Iran. Three myxomycetous species belonging to Trichia, Hemitrichia and Arcyria were also collected. Two hundred specimen of macromycetes were identified in this study. Among identified taxa, 5 genera and 23 species are newly reported for Iran. Several ruts fungi were also identified. Among them three species viz. Uromyces inaquialtus var. ecbatanens, Puccinia hedjaroudei and Phragmidium gorganense are new to the science. Several rust taxa and host plants are also newly reported here.