Checklist of microfungi of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, India

Abstract. Dubey R, Chatterjee SS, Pandey AD. 2024. Checklist of microfungi of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, India. Intl J Trop Drylands 25: 69-82. Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT WLS) situated at the confluence of Eastern and Western Ghats, India, exhibits a unique blend of climatic and ecological conditions that support a rich and diverse biota. The present study aims to investigate its microfungal diversity and was conducted from 2014 to 2016. Fungi were collected from various substrates including plant litter, living leaves, and rhizospheric soil (rs). Identification of these fungi involved routine microscopic techniques, supplemented by advanced Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for rare and novel fungi. The study resulted in a significant checklist of a total of 290 fungal isolates, categorized into 164 species across 114 genera. Among these, five taxa were newly discovered, including 1 new genus viz., Biligiriella S. Sengupta & Rashmi Dubey along with its type species Biligiriella indica S. Sengupta & Rashmi Dubey; and 3 other new species viz., Colemaniella biligiriensis Rashmi Dubey & S. Sengupta, Elotespora indica Rashmi Dubey & S.S. Chatterjee, Sporidesmium biligiriense Rashmi Dubey & S. Sengupta.