Classification of

In 1860, Anton De Bary classified the fungi scientifically

fungi at first.

He divided the fungi into four groups:

1. Saprophytes (nutrients derived from dead organic
material),
2. Facultative Parasites (able to become parasitic but
generally
saprophytic),
3. Facultative Saprophytes (able to become saprophytic but
generally parasitic), and
4. Parasites (only able to survive on a living host).

Mycology was originally a branch of botany, but

fungi are evolutionarily more closely related to animals than to
plants.
This was not widely accepted until the late 20th Century.
• Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778)
the “Father of Taxonomy”
– Plants without obvious
sexual organs were
classified in Class
Cryptogamia (lichens,
fungi, mosses, ferns)
• Fungi are primitive plants
under this classification of
organisms in 1753.
 The Five kingdom system
(Whittaker, 1969)

• Eukarya.
• Plants and Animals are fairly obvious
• Fungi, are very distinct from the other
kingdoms.
• Kingdom Protista is a “dumping ground” for
organisms that donot fit into the other
eukaryotic kingdoms.
R. H. Whittaker’s 1969 Classification
 How are fungi named?
• To determine the correct name for a taxon,
certain steps must be followed, including:
 Effective publication
 Valid publication
• Description or diagnosis in Latin
• Clear indication of rank
• Designated type
 Nomenclature
• Nomenclature: the “allocation of scientific
names to the units a systematist considers to
merit formal recognition.”. 

• The nomenclature of fungi is governed by the

International Code for Botanical Nomenclature,
as adopted by the International Botanical
Congress.
  Linnaean Hierarchy
In accordance with the recommendation of ICBN,
which
Mycologist endorse suffix of fungal taxa are as follows:
Division: _mycota
Subdivision: _mycotina
Class: _mycetes
Order:_ales
Family:_aceae
Genus (sing, pl. genera):_no standard ending
Species (sing. + pl.):_ no standard ending
 Hierarchical Classification

Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum /Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Basidiomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Agaricaceae
Genus: Agaricus
Species: Agaricus campestris L.
 Binomial nomenclature
 The Swedish botanist, zoologist
and physician Carolus
Linnaeus (1707–1778)

partially developed by the

Bauhin
brothers, Gaspard and Johann
, 200 years earlier
e.g. Agaricus campestris L.

1st Edition in 1735

 Classification of fungi
(Alexopoulos and Mims, 1979)

Kingdom Myceteae:
1. Achlorophyllous, mostly saprobic or few parasitic,
very few mutualistic
2. Mostly absorptive, few phagotrophic
3. Mostly mycelial, few unicellular
4. Cell wall if present consist of mostly chitin, in few cases
cell wall consist of fungal cellulose
5. Propagate by various types of spores
 Outline 3 division, 8 sub-D, 12 classes,

e.g. e.g.
e.g.
e.g.
e.g.
e.g.

e.g.
e.g. e.g. e.g.
e.g.
1. Phagotrophic 1. Flagellated cell 1. No motile spores
(zoospore) produced in
typically their life cycle
produced in their
life cycle
2. Somatic body 2. Coenocytic 2. Coenocytic or
devoid of cell mycelium, septate
wall few pseudoseptate mycelium.

3. Reproduce by 3. Centrioles 3. Cell division

spore like fungi functioning in cell without
division centrioles
1. Soma myxamoeba 1. Soma simple myxamoeba
followed by mostly with pseudopodia
pseudoplasmodium that or true plasmodium that
colminates into a colminates into one or
sporocarp bearing a more sporophores
mucoid droplet of
walled spores at the tip
of each branch
 Division

-1 - 2, 3

1. No flagellated cells
except 1 species 1. Plasmodial
2. Sexual 1. Plasmodial steaming
reproduction, steaming reversible
where known, unidirectional 2. Sexual rep.
through 2. Sexual rep. known.
macrocysts. unknown e.g. Ceratiomyxa
e.g. Acrasis e.g. Ceratiomyxella
1. Uni or bi-flagilated 1. Typically bi-flagilated
2. Haplobiontic haploid 2. Haplobiontic diploid
or diplobiontic
Division (Zoosporic)
Posterior: Located behind a part or toward the rear of a structure.
Anterior: Situated before or at the front of; fore
(opposed to posterior )

D1.
A. B. C. D2.

Figure: Zoospore of
A. Chytridiomycetes;
B. Hyphochytridiomycetes;
C. Plasmodiophoromycetes;
D1. primary zoospore of Oomycota;
D2. secondary  zoospore of Oomycetes.  
 Subdivision 1.

1. Motile cell 1. Motile cell 1. Multinucleate

with posterior with anterior, plasmodium
uniflagelate, uniflagellate, 2. Motile cell with
whiplash type tinsel type anterior biflagelate,
flagellum flagellum whiplash type
e.g.  Synchytrium e.g. flagellum
endobioticum Rhizidiomyces e.g. Plasmodiophora
apophysatus brassicae
 Subdivision 2.

1. Usually coenocytic mycelial

2. Cell wall consist of glucans and cellulose except
Leptomitales
3. Motile cell with biflagelate, whiplash and tinsel type
flagella
e.g. Saprolegnia, Pythium and Albugo
 Division (Aplanosporic)

Subdivision-1.Zygomycotina: Typically cenocytic, asexually

produce sporangiospore, sexual rep. gametangial fusion,
resulting zygosporangia
Subdivision-2.Ascomycotina: Produce ascospores in a sac-like
cell (ascus).
Subdivision-3.Basidiomycotina: Produce basidiospores on a
various type of basidia.
Subdivision-4.Deuteromycotina: Sexual reproduction unknown,
reproduce various types of asexual conidia, Few species
produce no spore at all.
 Subdivision-1. Zygomycotina:
Class Zygomycetes
Asexually reproduce by aplanospores borne singly
or in a group within sporangium
Sexually reproduce by fusion between two equal
gametangia e.g. Mucor and Rhizopus

Class Trichomycetes
Obligate symbiont or commensels on Arthopodes
Asexual reproduction by amoeboid cells, arthospores
or sporangiospores
Sexual reproduction unconfirmed except 1 order
e.g. Paramoebidium, Harpella
Subdivision-2. Ascomycotina: Class: Ascomycetes
Typically septate, some unicellular, Asexually reproduce by
means of conidia, Sexual reproduction by various methods
Ascocarp may present. e.g. Ascobolus, Saccharomyces

Subdivision-3. Basidiomycotina: Class: Basidiomycetes

Typically septate, some unicellular, having long dikaryotic
phase, Produce meiospores (basidiospores) on a various type of
basidia. Basidiocarp may present. e.g. Puccinia, Agaricus

Subdivision-4. Deuteromycotina: Form-class: Deuteromycetes

Typically septate, some unicellular, Sexual reproduction
unknown, asexually reproduce by various types of conidia, Few
species produce no spore at all. e.g. Alternaria, Colletotrichum
 Fossil fungi

A conspicuous fungal fossil, Jimwhitea circumtecta gen.

et sp. nov., occurs in permineralized peat from the
Middle Triassic of Antarctica.

Two mushroom fruitbody of Archaeomarasmius leggetti

gen. et sp. nov. were found from mid-Cretaceous amber
of New Jersey
Q. Which are the key characters used in the classification of fungi?
(proposed by Alexopoulos and Mims, 1979 or Ainsworth and
Webster
Q. Point out the features in which Basidiomycetes differs from
Ascomycetes
Q. Haplobiontic haploid/diploid
Q. The difference between the primary mycelium and secondary
mycelium is
Q. Compare/differentiate among/ between
Q. Write 5 comparison between Chytridiomycetes and
Oomycetes 2.5
Q. Compare following pairs (with example and figure if applicable).

1.5 each pair:

a. Oomycetes and Zygomycetes,
b. Hyphochytridiomycetes and Chytridiomycetes,
c. Myxomycetes and Plasmodiophoromycetes,
d. Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes,
e. Basidiomycetes and Deuteromycetes.
Q. Mention the name of fungal classes sequentially with two
identifying character and an example for each according to
Alexopoulos and Mims (1979)
Life cycles that include sexual reproduction involve
alternating haploid (n) and diploid (2n) stages, i.e., a change
of ploidy is involved. To return from a diploid stage to a haploid
stage, meiosis must occur. In regard to changes of ploidy, there are
3 types of cycles:
haplontic life cycle — the haploid stage is multicellular and the
diploid stage is a single cell, meiosis is "zygotic".
diplontic life cycle — the diploid stage is multicellular and
haploid gametes are formed, meiosis is "gametic".
haplodiplontic life cycle (also referred to
as diplohaplontic, diplobiontic, or dibiontic life cycle) —
multicellular diploid and haploid stages occur, meiosis is "sporic".
The cycles differ in when mitosis (growth) occurs. Zygotic
meiosis and gametic meiosis have one mitotic stage: mitosis occurs
during the n phase in zygotic meiosis and during the 2n phase in
gametic meiosis. Therefore, zygotic and gametic meiosis are
collectively termed haplobiontic (single mitotic phase, not to be
confused with haplontic). Sporic meiosis, on the other hand, has
mitosis in two stages, both the diploid and haploid stages,
termed diplobiontic (not to be confused with diplontic).
Haplobiontic organisms have either gametangial or zygotic
meiosis. They never have sporic meiosis. These organisms are
always either diploid or haploid, never alternating.

Diplobiontic organisms have sporic meiosis. They always have

alternation of generations.
Haplobiontic haploid (Hh type): In the life cycle of Hh type of
algae, the free living thallus is haploid (1N) and only one form.
The algae can mutiply by fragmentation or cell divisions, or by
producing spores for asexual reproduction. They can also perform
sexual reproduction by producing gametes. After fertilization, the
zygote undergoes meiosis to generate four spores. Each spore will
then geminate into a haploid thallus.

Haplobiontic diploid (Hd type): In the life cycle of Hd type, the

free living thallus is diploid (2N). The algae only perform meiosis
when produce gametes. Asexual reproduction produces diploid
zoospores. Each spore forms a thallus. 
 Haplobiontic means single generation. If there is only one free
living haploid thallus in the life cycle of a fungus is called as
haplobiontic haploid. e.g. most spp. of Zygo- and Asco-mycetes

Haplobiontic haploid (left) and haplobiontic diploid (right) life cycle

If there is only one free living diploid thallus in the life cycle of a
fungus is called as haplobiontic diploid. e.g. yeast
Systematic Position (Alexopoulos & Mims 1979)

Kingdom : Myceteae
Division : Amastigomycota
Sub-Division : Basidiomycotina
Class : Basidiomycetes
Sub-class : Teliomycetidae
Order : Uredinales
Family : Pucciniaceae
Genus : Puccinia
 Fossil fungi
A conspicuous fungal fossil, Jimwhitea circumtecta gen. et sp.
nov., occurs in permineralized peat from the Middle Triassic
of Antarctica.
• MOST of these are hyperlinked to their source.
If you want one that is not hyperlinked or if the link isn't
working, e-mail me at [email protected] and I'll be happy to
send it to you.
•
Please note that this list will be updated continuously as I find
more available resources. All of these files are freely available
on the Internet so there should be no copyright issues.
Articles with author names in RED are new additions since
January 30, 2015. 
• Kingdom Fungi
• Anderson, R.S., et al. (1984). Fossil remains of the mycorrhizal
fungal Glomus fasciculatum complex in postglacial lake
sediments from Maine. Can.J.Bot., 62.
• Boyce, C.K., et al. (2007). 
Devonian landscape heterogeneity recorded by a giant fungus.