An investigation was undertaken on the biodegradation of two kinds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), anthracene (ANT) and benz[a]anthracene (BAA), by fungi isolated from PAH-contaminated mangrove sediments environment in Ma Wan, Hong Kong. ANT (50 mg l(-1)) and BAA (20 mg l(-1)), respectively, were added to mineral salt medium initially for screening of PAH-degrading fungi, and finally two fungal species capable of using ANT or BAA as the sole carbon source were isolated and identified as Fusarium solani species. Removal of ANT and BAA reached 40% and 60% of the added amount, respectively, after 40 days of incubation. A total of six metabolites were isolated and characterized by solid phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), which indicate that F. solani degraded both ANT and BAA via their respective quinone molecules to generate phthalic acid. Free extracellular laccase was detected during the degradation process without detectable lignin peroxidase (LiP) and manganese-dependent peroxidase (MnP), suggesting that laccase might play an important role in the transformation of PAHs compounds. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.