A preliminary report of aquatic hyphomycetes isolated from Anzali lagoon (Gilan province, North of Iran)

Aquatic hyphomycetes equipped with a rich array of extracellular enzymes are involved in bioremediation of anthropogenic pollutants, plastics, aromatic contaminants and petroleum hydrocarbons. The current study contributes to the knowledge of Iranian aquatic hyphomycetes. Sampling was conducted in Anzali lagoon, Gilan province, Iran during 2017. Among 55 fungal isolates obtained during this study, eight species including Arthrobotrys oligosporus, Ceratorhiza hydrophila, Fusarium cf. ensiforme, F. incarnatum species complex, Myrmecridium schulzeri, Paecilomyces variotii, Sarocladium subulatum, and Volutella citrinella were identified based on their morphological characteristics. Furthermore, three species assigned to the genera Arthrobotrys, Fusarium and Sarocladium remained unidentified. Molecular studies using mainly ITS, LSU and SSU rDNA and in some cases β-tubulin (tub2) and translation elongation factor 1-a (tef1) determined the phylogenetic position of the isolates among closely related species. The occurrence of members of Fusarium, Sarocladium, and Ceratorhiza, known as rice disease agents, in freshwater ecosystems is interesting. This is the first report of aquatic hyphomycetes communities in Anzali lagoon, Iran. In this study, Sarocladium subulatum, Myrmecridium schulzeri, and Volutella citrinella are reported for the first time for Iran.