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Partial 28S rRNA gene sequence-data of the strains of the anamorphic genera Bahusutrabeeja, Diplococcium, Natarajania, Paliphora, Polyschema, Rattania and Spadicoides were analysed to predict their phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic placement within the Ascomycota. Results indicate that Diplococcium and morphologically similar genera, i.e. Spadicoides, Paliphora and Polyschema do not share a recent common ancestor. The type species of Diplococcium, D. spicatum is referred to Helotiales (Leotiomycetes). The placement of Spadicoides bina, the type of the genus, is unresolved but it is shown to be closely associated with Porosphaerella species, which are sister taxa to Coniochaetales (Sordariomycetes). Three Polyschema species analysed in this study represent a monophyletic lineage and are related to Lentithecium fluviatile and Leptosphaeria calvescens in Pleosporales (Dothideomycetes). DNA sequence analysis also suggests that Paliphora intermedia is a member of Chaetosphaeriaceae (Sordariomycetes). The type species of Bahusutrabeeja, B. dwaya, is phylogenetically related to Neodeightonia (=Botryosphaeria) subglobosa in Botryosphaeriales (Dothideomycetes). Monotypic genera Natarajania and Rattania are phylogenetically related to members of Diaporthales and Chaetosphaeriales, respectively. Future studies with extended gene datasets and type strains are required to resolve many novel but morphologically unexplainable phylogenetic scenarios revealed from this study. It is increasingly becoming evident that a fungal lineage may include a mosaic of anamorphs, teleomorphs and pleomorphs whose morphologies may not always be correlated. It is therefore suggested that where possible all new species descriptions, whether teleomorphic, anamorphic or pleomorphic, should include DNA sequence-data to facilitate amalgamation of anamorphic and pleomorphic genera in a single phylogenetic classification system.

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Mixed microbial culture (MMC) electrofermentation (EF) represents a promising tool to drive metabolic pathways toward the production of a specific compound. Here, the MMC-EF process has been exploited to obtain butyric acid in simplified membrane-less reactors operated by applying a difference of potential between two low-cost graphite electrodes. Ten values of voltage difference, from −0.60 V to −1.5 V, have been tested and compared with the experiment under open circuit potential (OCP). In all the tested conditions, an enhancement in the production rate of butyric acid (from a synthetic mixture of glucose, acetate, and ethanol) was observed, ranging from 1.3- to 2.7-fold relative to the OCP. Smaller enhancements in the production rate resulted in higher values of the calculated specific energy consumption. However, at all applied voltages, a low flow of current was detected in the one-chamber reactors, accounting for an average value of approximately −100 µA. These results hold a substantial potential with respect to the scalability of the electrofermentation technology, since they pinpoint the possibility to control MMC-based bioprocesses by simply inserting polarized electrodes into traditional fermenters.