The fly agaric is a remarkable mushroom in many respects; these are its bearing, history, chemical components and the poisoning that it provokes when consumed. The ‘pantherina’ poisoning syndrome is characterized by central nervous system dysfunction. The main species responsible are Amanita muscaria and A. pantherina (Amanitaceae); however, some other species of the genus have been suspected for similar actions. Ibotenic acid and muscimol are the active components, and probably, some other substances detected in the latter species participate in the psychotropic effects. The use of the mushroom started in ancient times and is connected with mysticism. Current knowledge on the chemistry, toxicology, and biology relating to this mushroom is reviewed, together with distinctive features concerning this unique species.

Perhaps like many other mycologists, my initial encounters with fungi filled me with a desire to engage with mysteries: mysteries embedded in the diversity of form and function in fungi and how this diversity might be related to the life of the forest in which so many of these organisms appear to find their homes. In all good mysteries, the resolution of underlying causes at one level of comprehension only serves to reveal deeper levels for exploration.This can open the way into a cascade that nourishes a growing empathy with fellow beings and so assuages that most fundamental need to have a sense of belonging – to be as one; to be at peace; secure in the knowledge of idiosyncrasies embraced in the fondness of others. I dreamt that fungi would somehow eventually lead me and my fellow travellers down that cascade. I still do.

The current state of professional mycology in Britain is considered in relation to the intellectual legacy left by the founding father of British mycology, the Reverend M. J. Berkeley (1803–1889). Through a review of Berkeley's life and work, it is suggested that there are many unexpected parallels between British mycology today and in the nineteenth century. Although there are now a considerable number of professional mycologists, support for professional mycology and mycological education is considered to be inadequate and seems in some ways to have advanced little in the past century and a half. It is concluded that above all, the current poor level of support for whole organism studies is the greatest betrayal of Berkeley's legacy.

In spite of the term ‘endophyte’ being employed for all organisms that inhabit plants, mycologists have come to use the term ‘fungal endophyte’ for fungi that inhabit plants without causing visible disease symptoms. The term refers only to fungi at the moment of detection without regard for the future status of the interaction. This paper is a review of literature on non-balansiaceous fungi involved in asymptomatic colonisations of plants. These fungal endophytes represent a continuum of fungi with respect to physiological status, infection modus, colonisation pattern, secondary metabolism, life-history strategy, and developmental and evolutionary stages, but also with respect to the fungal and host taxa involved in the symbioses.

We hypothesize that there are no neutral interactions, but rather that endophyte-host interactions involve a balance of antagonisms, irrespective of the plant organ infected. There is always at least a degree of virulence on the part of the fungus enabling infection, whereas defence of the plant host limits development of fungal invaders and disease. It is also hypothesized that the endophytes, in contrast to known pathogens, generally have far greater phenotypic plasticity and thus more options than pathogens: infection, local but also extensive colonisation, latency, virulence, pathogenity and (or) saprophytism. This phenotypic plasticity is a motor of evolution.

Leptographium wingfieldii is a well-known fungal associate of the pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda, in Europe. This fungus is pathogenic to pines and is an important cause of blue-stain in the sapwood of infested trees. Tomicus piniperda was first found in a Christmas tree plantation in Ohio, USA, 1992, but isolation of the fungi associated with these intercepted insects was not attempted. Fungal strains resembling L. wingfieldii were recently isolated from pines attacked by T. piniperda, Dendroctonus valens and Ips pini in the northeastern United States. These strains were morphologically similar to the ex-type and other reference strains of L. wingfieldii. Strains were also compared based on sequences of the partial ITS ribosomal DNA operon, β-tubulin and elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) genes. Based on these DNA sequence comparisons, reference strains of European L. wingfieldii were conspecific with North American strains from pines attacked by T. piniperda, D. valens and I. pini. A single strain from Canada, collected in 1993 near the Ontario border with the USA, shortly after the discovery of T. piniperda in that area and tentatively identified as L. wingfieldii, was also included in this study. Its identification was confirmed, suggesting that L. wingfieldii has been present in this region and probably over the whole range of the insect's distribution for at least a decade. This represents the first record of L. wingfieldii associated with the introduced and damaging pine shoot beetle T. piniperda in North America. It shows that the fungus is well established and can become associated with other native bark beetles that attack stressed and/or dying trees. The occurrence and spread of this highly pathogenic fungus associated with North American bark beetles should be monitored.

In order to estimate phylogenetic relationships in the Auriculariales sensu Bandoni (1984) and allied groups we have analysed a representative sample of species by comparison of nuclear coded ribosomal DNA sequences, applying models of neighbour joining, maximum parsimony, conditional clustering, and maximum likelihood.

Analyses of the 5′ terminal domain of the gene coding for the 28 S ribosomal large subunit supported the monophyly of the Dacrymycetales and Tremellales, while the monophyly of the Auriculariales was not supported. The Sebacinaceae, including the genera Sebacina, Efibulobasidium, Tremelloscypha, and Craterocolla, was confirmed as a monophyletic group, which appeared distant from other taxa ascribed to the Auriculariales. Within the latter the following subgroups were significantly supported: (1) a group of closely related species containing members of the genera Auricularia, Exidia, Exidiopsis, Heterochaete, and Eichleriella; (2) a group comprising species of Bourdotia and Ductifera; (3) a group of globose-spored species of the genus Basidiodendron; (4) a group that includes the members of the genus Myxarium and Hyaloria pilacre; (5) a group consisting of species of the genera Protomerulius, Tremellodendropsis, Heterochaetella, and Protodontia. Additional analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the species contained in group (1) resulted in a separation of these fungi due to their basidial types.

Ribosomal DNA sequences provide new molecular approaches to characterise fungal species from the environment. This study presents a culture-independent approach to assessing fungal diversity by direct amplification, cloning, restriction digestion and sequencing of internal transcribed spacers (ITS). We have assessed this novel approach both with culturable soil fungi and with total environmental DNA extracted from the same soil sample. Sixty-seven colonies and 51 cloned amplicons from total DNA were compared on the basis of their ITS restriction patterns. Then, 58 representative ITS sequences were determined and classified by comparing their sequences with ITS sequences of known origin. All culturable fungi were ascomycetes with one basidiomycete exception. In contrast, cloned amplicons from total environmental DNA were identified to ascomycetes, one basidiomycete, one zygomycete and to several fungi belonging to the kingdoms Chromista and Protozoa. The results show that PCR–RFLP of ITS provides an efficient culture-independent molecular tool for ecological studies and to assess fungal diversity.

Siderophores are low molecular weight, iron-chelating ligands produced by nearly all microorganisms. Fungi synthesize a wide range of hydroxamate siderophores. This review considers the chemical and biological aspects of these siderophores, their distribution amongst fungal genera and their possible applications. Siderophores function primarily as iron transport compounds. Expression of siderophore biosynthesis and the uptake systems is regulated by internal iron concentrations. Transport of siderophores is an energy-dependent process and is stereoselective, depending on recognition of the metal ion coordination geometry. In addition to transporting iron, siderophores have other functions and effects, including enhancing pathogenicity, acting as intracellular iron storage compounds and suppressing growth of other microorganisms. Siderophores can complex other metals apart from iron, in particular the actinides. Because of their metal-binding ability there are potential applications for siderophores in medicine, reprocessing of nuclear fuel, remediation of metal-contaminated sites and the treatment of industrial waste.

This month Mycological Research News features a report of an extraordinary richness of undescribed truffle-like fungi in Australia, and an explanation of why mycologists should always deposit voucher specimens and cultures to enable their work to be validated, co-authored by 18 mycologists.

Amongst the 21 papers included in this issue are three on the biocontrol of insect pests by Erynia and Metarhizium species, including methods of application and longevity of conidial preparations. Biomass estimations by ergosterol in decomposing leaves in the Everglades, and by chitin in Crinipellis infections on cacao are described. Variation in Phytophthora infestans provides evidence of heterokaryons, conidial production in Colletotrichum acutatum is favoured by monsoon conditions, and the conidia of Pestalotiopsis neglecta inhibit other fungi. Six papers on mycorrhizas address competition with saprobic fungi and other ectomycorrhizal species, the characterization of a chitin synthase, variation at the molecular level in two endomycorrhizal fungi, a culture technique, and the early response of tobacco roots to colonization. Amongst other papers are ones characterizing a protease in Schizophyllum, describing incompatability groups in Pleurotus tuberregium, and showing different Venturia species attack different pears.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Pseudohelicomyces gen. nov.; Anthostomella acuminata, A. applanata, A. caffrariae, A. colligata, A. meerensis, A. palmae, A. raphiae, A. spiralis, Pseudohelicomyces albus, Ramulispora cerealis, and Trichoderma stromaticum spp. nov.