10.22376/ijpbs.2019.10.1.p1-12 Volume 7 Issue 4 2016 (October - December) The objective of this present study was to isolate a potential laccase producing fungi from the different environmental samples from Gujarat. Eighteen morphologically different fungi were isolated on mineral salts medium having lignin (sole carbon source) and screened qualitatively for their ability to produce laccase by plate screening method using the indicators ABTS, Brilliant Blue R (RBBR), Syringaldazine and Guaicol. Six selected fungal isolates were further screened quantitatively in liquid medium and assayed using ABTS as a substrate. The highest laccase productivity in liquid medium was 166.2 U/ml (3 lessThan sup greaterThan rd lessThan /sup greaterThan day) with BL-21/4. The genotypic characterization of selected fungal isolates was performed with partial 18S rRNA sequencing using ITS primer set ITS1/ITS4. The fungal isolates were identified as lessThan i greaterThan Aspergillus versicolor lessThan /i greaterThan , lessThan i greaterThan Curvularia aeria lessThan /i greaterThan , lessThan i greaterThan Curvularia lunata and Curvularia akaii. lessThan /i greaterThan The conclusions of this study confirm that ABTS and Syringaldazine is very efficient phenolic compound for qualitative screening of novel ascomycetes that produces laccase. RAJESHRI J PATEL AND LAKSHMI BHASKARAN Laccase, Ascomycetes, ABTS, Syringaldazine, Guaicol. 452-458