Ecology, seasonal variation, and altitudinal distribution of Costa Rican smut fungi (Basidiomycetes: Ustilaginales and Tilletiales)*

Abstract

On the basis of more than 430 collections of Costa Rican smut fungi (Ustilaginales and Tilletiales, Basidiomycetes) and literature, 53 different smut species in 18 genera are listed for the country. Tilletia ayresii on Panicum maximum is the most frequently collected smut. Apart from some other frequent species, many smut species have rarely been found, though their host plants are frequently met. Most of the smut infections were found on herbaceous hosts (Poaceae and Cyperaceae), in rural vegetation, during the rainy season until the beginning of the dry season. On Cyperaceae, Anthracoidea and Farysia species occur in the highlands while species of Cintractia are mostly restricted to the lowlands. Cintractia limitata has only been found below 600 m in Costa Rica, though its host, Cyperus rotundus, has been observed frequently at about 1200 m. The distribution of certain smut species and genera shows affinities between the vegetation in tropical highlands and vegetation in temperate climate. Smuts are rarely found on active volcanoes, perhaps because of volcanic air contamination.