Pilliga Ghosts: The Novel Fungi of the Rivers, Creeks, Lakes, and Dams of the Narrabri Region, Australia

Kim L J Porter; Richard Schinteie; Carla Mariani; Paul Greenfield; Se Gong; Stephen Sestak; Nai Tran-Dinh; David J Midgley

doi:10.1111/1758-2229.70348

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Pilliga Ghosts: The Novel Fungi of the Rivers, Creeks, Lakes, and Dams of the Narrabri Region, Australia

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Pilliga Ghosts: The Novel Fungi of the Rivers, Creeks, Lakes, and Dams of the Narrabri Region, Australia

Kim L J Porter, Richard Schinteie, Carla Mariani, Paul Greenfield, Se Gong, Stephen Sestak, Nai Tran-Dinh and David J Midgley

Environmental Microbiology Reports, Vol.18(3), pp.1-16

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70348

PMID: 42049693

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Abstract

aquatic hyphomycetes

Australia

freshwater fungi

semi-arid climate

zoosporic

Fungal communities in the freshwater systems of the semi-arid Narrabri region, Australia, remain largely unexplored despite their crucial role as ecosystem regulators. This study provides the first comprehensive survey of aquatic fungal diversity across the Narrabri region of riverine and lacustrine waters in an area over 2000 km in size. ITS amplicon sequencing of water samples collected in November 2022 and June 2023 identified 344 OTUs, revealing clear temporal variation, with OTU richness significantly higher in November than in June. Notably, ~73% of sequences could not be reliably assigned to phyla, representing substantial 'fungal dark matter', although many of these sequences appear to have affinities with poorly characterised zoosporic fungi. Aquatic hyphomycetes were virtually absent. This observation may be due to regular filtering of conidia by hyporheic or ephemeral flow during the dry season in this region. Notably, this study reported the first Australian record of the ectomycorrhizal fungus, Laccaria miniata, detected in a mass fruiting event in June 2023. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that two sponges, previously undocumented in the region, are widespread, alongside a novel gastrotrich species occurring at most locations. Taken together, these findings reveal semi-arid freshwater systems in Australia are hotspots of unrecognised fungal and eukaryote diversity.

Details

Title: Pilliga Ghosts: The Novel Fungi of the Rivers, Creeks, Lakes, and Dams of the Narrabri Region, Australia
Authors: Kim L J Porter (Author) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Richard Schinteie (Corresponding Author) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Carla Mariani (Author) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Paul Greenfield (Author) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Se Gong (Author) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Stephen Sestak (Author) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Nai Tran-Dinh (Author) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
David J Midgley (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Environmental Microbiology Reports, Vol.18(3), pp.1-16
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.70348
ISSN: 1758-2229
PMID: 42049693
Copyright note: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2026 Commonwealth of Australia. Environmental Microbiology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Data Availability: The data that supports the findings of this study are available in the Supporting Information of this article.
Grant note: This work was supported by the CSIRO's Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA) and CSIRO's Indigenous Graduate Programme.
Organisation Unit: Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991228953402621
Output Type: Journal article

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