This is a list of the lists of fungal taxa as recorded from South Africa. Names given are as provided by the source, but authorities and dates should be aligned with current practice where feasible. Currently accepted names have been appended where the listed name is out of date.
A fungus (plural: fungi [1] or funguses [2] ) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from the other eukaryotic kingdoms, those being Plantae, Animalia, Protozoa, and Chromista.
A characteristic that places fungi in a different kingdom from plants, bacteria, and some protists is chitin in their cell walls. Fungi, like animals, are heterotrophs; they acquire their food by absorbing dissolved molecules, typically by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. Fungi do not photosynthesize. Growth is their means of mobility, except for spores (a few of which are flagellated), which may travel through the air or water. Fungi are the principal decomposers in ecological systems. These and other differences place fungi in a single group of related organisms, named the Eumycota (true fungi or Eumycetes), which share a common ancestor (from a monophyletic group), an interpretation that is also strongly supported by molecular phylogenetics. This fungal group is distinct from the structurally similar myxomycetes (slime molds) and oomycetes (water molds). The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known as mycology (from the Greek μύκης mykes, mushroom). In the past, mycology was regarded as a branch of botany, although it is now known fungi are genetically more closely related to animals than to plants.
Abundant worldwide, most fungi are inconspicuous because of the small size of their structures, and their cryptic lifestyles in soil or on dead matter. Fungi include symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi and also parasites. They may become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or as molds. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange in the environment. They have long been used as a direct source of human food, in the form of mushrooms and truffles; as a leavening agent for bread; and in the fermentation of various food products, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce. Since the 1940s, fungi have been used for the production of antibiotics, and, more recently, various enzymes produced by fungi are used industrially and in detergents. Fungi are also used as biological pesticides to control weeds, plant diseases and insect pests. Many species produce bioactive compounds called mycotoxins, such as alkaloids and polyketides, that are toxic to animals including humans. The fruiting structures of a few species contain psychotropic compounds and are consumed recreationally or in traditional spiritual ceremonies. Fungi can break down manufactured materials and buildings, and become significant pathogens of humans and other animals. Losses of crops due to fungal diseases (e.g., rice blast disease) or food spoilage can have a large impact on human food supplies and local economies.
The fungus kingdom encompasses an enormous diversity of taxa with varied ecologies, life cycle strategies, and morphologies ranging from unicellular aquatic chytrids to large mushrooms. However, little is known of the true biodiversity of Kingdom Fungi, which has been estimated at 2.2 million to 3.8 million species. [3] Of these, only about 148,000 have been described, [4] with over 8,000 species known to be detrimental to plants and at least 300 that can be pathogenic to humans. [5] Ever since the pioneering 18th and 19th century taxonomical works of Carl Linnaeus, Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, and Elias Magnus Fries, fungi have been classified according to their morphology (e.g., characteristics such as spore color or microscopic features) or physiology. Advances in molecular genetics have opened the way for DNA analysis to be incorporated into taxonomy, which has sometimes challenged the historical groupings based on morphology and other traits. Phylogenetic studies published in the first decade of the 21st century have helped reshape the classification within Kingdom Fungi, which is divided into one subkingdom, seven phyla, and ten subphyla.
Genus: Kalchbrennera Berk. 1876, accepted as Lysurus Fr., (1823)
Genus: Kloeckerospora *
Genus: Kretzschmaria Fr. 1849
Genus: Kuehneola Magnus 1898
Genus: Kupsura Lloyd 1924, accepted as Lysurus Fr., (1823)
Genus: Naemacyclus Fuckel 1874
Genus: Naevia Fr. 1824, accepted as Arthonia Ach., (1806)
Genus: Naucoria (Fr.) P.Kumm. (1871), accepted as Alnicola Kühner (1926)
Genus: Nectria (Fr.) Fr. 1849
Family:Nectrioidaceae Sacc. 1884 [8]
Genus: Nematospora Peglion 1897
Genus: Nematostigma Syd. & P. Syd. 1913
Genus: Neobarclaya Kuntze 1898
Genus: Neocosmospora E.F. Sm. 1899 accepted as Fusarium Link, (1809)
Genus: Neopeckia Sacc. 1883
Genus: Nephroma Ach. 1809(Lichens)
Genus: Nephromium Nyl. 1860, accepted as Nephroma Ach., (1809)
Genus: Nesolechia A. Massal. 1856 accepted as Phacopsis Tul., (1852)
Family: Nidulariaceae Dumort. 1822 [8]
Genus: Nidularia Fr. 1817
Genus: Nigrospora Zimm. 1902
Genus: Niopsora A. Massal. 1861, accepted as Caloplaca Th. Fr., (1860)
Genus: Niorma A. Massal. 1861
Genus: Nolanea (Fr.) P. Kumm. 1871
Genus: Normandina Nyl. 1855
Genus: Nummularia Tul. & C. Tul. 1863 accepted as Biscogniauxia Kuntze, (1891)
Genus: Ocellularia G. Mey. 1825 (Lichens)
Genus: Ochrolechia A.Massal. (1852) (Lichens)
Genus: Octaviania Vittad. 1831
Genus: Odontia Pers. 1794
Genus: Oidiopsis Scalia 1902 accepted as Leveillula G. Arnaud, (1921)
Genus: Oidium Link 1824
Genus: Olpidiopsis Cornu 1872
Genus: Oligostroma Syd. & P. Syd. 1914 accepted as Ramularia Unger, (1833)
Genus: Ombrophila Fr. 1849
Genus: Omphalia (Fr.) Gray 1821, accepted as Omphalina Quél., (1886)
Genus: Omphalaria Durieu & Mont. 1847 (?) accepted as Thyrea A. Massal., (1856)
Genus: Omphalodium Meyen & Flot. 1843 (?) (Lichens)
Genus: Oncospora Kalchbr. 1880
Genus: Oospora Wallr. 1833, accepted as Oidium Link, (1824)
Genus: Oothecium Speg. 1918, accepted as Asterostomella Speg., (1886)
Genus: Opegrapha (Lichens)
Genus: Ophiobolus Riess 1854
Genus: Ophiodothella (Henn.) Höhn. 1910
Genus: Orbilia Fr. 1836
Family: Orbiliaceae Nannf. 1932 [9]
Genus: Otthia Nitschke ex Fuckel 1870
Genus: Ovularia Sacc. 1880, accepted as Ramularia Unger, (1833)
Genus: Ovulariopsis Pat. & Har. 1900
Genus: Valsa
Family: Valsaceae Tul. & C. Tul. 1861 [10]
Genus: Valsaria Ces. & De Not. 1863
Genus: Varicellaria Nyl. 1858
Genus: Variolaria
Genus: Venturia
Genus: Vermicularia Tode 1790 accepted as Colletotrichum Corda, (1831)
Genus: Verrucaria Schrad. 1794? (Lichens)
Family: Verrucariaceae Eschw. 1824 [10]
Genus: Verticillium Nees 1816
Genus: Vestergrenia Rehm 1901
Genus: Volutella Fr. 1832
Genus: Volvaria
Genus: Volvariella Speg. 1898
Genus: Volvopluteus Vizzini, Contu & Justo 2011
Genus: Woodiella Sacc. & P. Syd. 1899,
Family: Woroninaceae H.E. Petersen 1909 [10]
Genus: Woroninella Racib. 1898 accepted as Synchytrium de Bary & Woronin, (1863)
Genus: Xanthoria (Fr.) Th. Fr. 1860,(Lichens)
Genus: Xerotus Fr. 1828
Genus: Xylaria Hill ex Schrank 1786
Family: Xylariaceae Tul. & C. Tul. 1863 [11]
Genus: Xylosorium Zundel 1939, accepted as Pericladium Pass., (1875)
Genus: Zukalia Sacc. 1891, accepted as Chaetothyrium Speg., (1888)
Genus: Zythia Fr. 1825, accepted as Sarea Fr., (1825)
Family: Zythiaceae Clem. 1909 [11]
Opegrapha is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Opegraphaceae. Species include:
Isaria is a genus of fungi mostly in the order Hypocreales and family Clavicipitaceae, or by some authorities the Cordycipitaceae. It includes a large number of entomopathogenic species, some of them exploited as biopesticides : often previously assigned to the genus Paecilomyces.
{{cite book}}
: |journal=
ignored (help)