Molecular phylogeny and morphology differentiate several new records and novel hosts for Curvularia species in Iran

Abstract

In this study, the diversity of Curvularia species from Iran was explored by integration of morphology and molecular data. Seventy-nine Curvularia isolates were recovered from plant species with leaf spot symptoms. A phylogeny based on sequences of the ITS-rDNA region and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene clustered our isolates in 16 species clades within the genus Curvularia, viz., C. americana, C. coatesiae, C. coicis, C. ellisii, C. eragrostidicola, C. geniculata, C. hawaiiensis, C. heteropogonicola, C. inaequalis, C. intermedia, C. mebaldsii, C. nicotiae, C. prasadii, C. spicifera , C. subpapendorfii, and C. tuberculata. Of those, C. coatesiae, C. eragrostidicola, C. geniculata, C. mebaldsii, C. nicotiae, C. prasadii and C. subpapendorfii represent new records for the mycobiota of Iran. New hosts species are reported for C. americana, C. coatesiae, C. eragrostidicola, C. nicotiae, C. prasadii and C. subpapendorfii.