This issue of Mycological Research News features: Corticioid basidiomycetes: unravelling the phylogeny of fungal cinderellas; Nomenclatural clarifications and new taxa in the Glomeromycota; and Ascobolus immersus spore-guns develop 3 atm pressure. An obituary of Richard W. G. Dennis is also included.

Ten research papers appear in this part. Molecular studies address basidiomycete phylogeny with new data from corticioid fungi; identify a new order of mycorrhizal heterobasidiomycetes; reassess Plasmopara and similar downy mildews; confirm the placement of a new sequestrate Lactarius; show additional Geosmithia species merit recognition; and identify a method of typing Beauveria bassiana strains. Critical studies reveal additional large-spored Daldinia species.

Root border cells produce stimulators of arbuscular mycorrhizal development, and ionizing radiation is shown to promote growth towards the radiation source.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Diversisporales, Sebacinales ords. nov.; Diversisporaceae, Pacisporaceae fams. nov; Diversispora, Protobremia gens. nov.; Daldinia dennisii, D. novaezelandiae, Geosmithia flava, and Lactarius angiocarpus spp. nov.; D. dennisii var. loculatoides, D. dennisii var. microspora vars. nov.; Diversispora spurcum (syn. Glomus spurcum), G. pallida (syn. Penicillium pallidum), Lactarius dolichocaulis (syn. Arcangeliella dolichocaulis), and P. sphaerosperma (syn. Plasmopara sphaerosperma) combs. nov.