During a survey of foliicolous fungi in India, two interesting anamorphic hyphomycetous fungal specimens were collected from infected leaves of Calotropis spp. and Mallotus philippensis. Calotropis spp. produce fascicles of conidiophores from stromata, accompanied by secondary superficial hyphae bearing solitary conidiophores. The specimen on Mallotus philippensis resembled Mycovellosiella, characterized by secondary superficial hyphae bearing micronematous to semi-macronematous, mononematous, unbranched, and aseptate conidiophores. A polyphasic approach—including morphological, cultural, and multilocus phylogenetic analyses (LSU-Rpb2-ITS), coupled with genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition—identified its relationship with cercosporoid fungi within the family Mycosphaerellaceae. The analysis confirmed that these fungal specimens represent distinct lineages without known morphological or DNA sequence counterparts. Consequently, two new genera are proposed: Marcstadlera and Neoclypeosphaerella, with M. malloti comb. nov. and N. calotropidis comb. nov. as their respective type species. Additionally, Clypeosphaerella calotropidis, Clypeosphaerella quasiparkii, and Pseudocercospora malloti are recognized as new synonyms. Several genera in the Mycosphaerellaceae, including Marcstadlera and Neoclypeosphaerella, are monophyletic. The ultrastructure of the conidiogenous loci and hila differs between these two genera. In Marcstadlera, the loci are cylindrical or peg-like, truncate at the apex, while the conidial base is narrowly obconically truncate. In Neoclypeosphaerella, the loci are slightly protuberant and surrounded by a circular rim-like structure, forming a truncated apex with a centrally positioned small apical depression. The conidial base is obconically truncated and also surrounded by a circular rim-like structure.

A hyaline to pale olivaceous brown hyphomycetous fungus was collected on living leaves of Tinospora cordifolia in India. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of several loci (LSU-RPB2-ITS) indicated a relationship with cercosporoid fungi (Mycosphaerellaceae). As no other known lineage shares similar morphology or DNA sequences, a new genus, Uwebraunomyces, is proposed, with U. tinosporae comb. nov. based on Ramularia tinosporae as the type species. Conidiophores are pale olivaceous to very pale brown in colour, typically unbranched, and subcylindrical to geniculate-sinuous at the tip. Conidia are solitary, obclavate to obpyriform, straight to curved, and few-septate. Additionally, the conidiogenous loci are characterized by a centrally located small papilla and a minute, distinct frill that is typically evident in older scars. These characteristics distinguish Uwebraunomyces from other closely related members of the ramularioid complex. Additionally, Cercosporella bundelkhandae is recognized as a new synonym as it shares nearly identical morphological features with U. tinosporae. At the ultrastructural level, Uwebraunomyces is further characterized by conidiogenous loci that bulge outward, forming convex or truncated cone shapes, with wall thickening extending beyond the area originally occupied by the base of the conidium. Older scars display a minute papilla or small, somewhat conical protuberant like structure in the centre of their apical depression, often accompanied by a minute, distinct frill. The conidial base is obconically truncate, featuring a basal depression with a centrally located, slightly protuberant structure. These distinct ultrastructural features set Uwebraunomyces apart from other members of the ramularioid complex, underscoring its taxonomic significance within the Mycosphaerellaceae. Citation: Singh G, Kumari P, Rajwar S, Yadav S, Mall S, Kumar S, Singh R (2025). Uwebraunomyces, a novel genus of the family Mycosphaerellaceae. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 16: 197-214. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2025.16.11.

The phylogeny and taxonomy of Cercospora malkoffii, an anamorphic ascomycete (Mycosphaerellaceae) causing a phytopathologically relevant leaf-spot disease on anise (Pimpinella anisum), are examined and clarified. This species is currently treated as belonging to the genus Passalora, based on a morphological species concept. However, genera of the Mycosphaerellaceae in general and particularly Passalora s. lat. underwent significant taxonomic changes in the past decades owing to comprehensive molecular phylogenetic revisions of cercosporoid fungi. Cercospora malkoffii has recently been repeatedly observed in commercial fields of P. anisum and has been isolated and cultivated in this study. Based on these cultures, ITS, LSU, CaM, tef1, tub2, and rpb2 sequences were retrieved and phylogenetic analyses were performed. These analyses revealed that C. malkoffii pertains to the genus Fusoidiella that currently comprises two former Passalora species on apiaceous hosts. Accordingly, the new combination Fusoidiella malkoffii is introduced. In addition, an epitype is designated here for C. malkoffii, and a pathogenicity test has been successfully carried out to fulfil Koch's postulates. Citation: Kreth L-S, Groenewald JZ, Braun U, Götz M (2025). Phylogeny and taxonomy of Cercospora malkoffii (Mycosphaerellaceae). Fungal Systematics and Evolution 16: 233-242. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2025.16.13.

Fungi in Cercospora and Pseudocercospora are commonly known as cercosporoid fungi. In the current study, a cercosporoid fungus was isolated from Mangifera indica from Chiang Mai, Thailand. The isolate was identifi ed as Pseudocercospora mangiferae sp. nov. based on morphology and ITS, act, tef1-α and rpb2 multigene phylogeny. Further, this is the fi rst report of a Pseudocercospora species on M. indica in Thailand.

Current status of Cercosporoid fungi in India, effective management strategies and future directions

The 50-page mycobiota, Current status of cercosporoid fungi of India by Sinha, Navathe, Kharwar, Wijayawardene, Dai, and Chand, may now be downloaded from Mycotaxon's mycobiota webpage. This review covering the occurrence and nomenclatural status of 1871 cercosporoid fungal species in India brings to 154 the number of free-access fungae uploaded or linked to: http://www.mycotaxon.com/mycobiota/index.html

Abstract Guava producers in Brazil have reported the occurrence of small, pink spot lesions on the surface of fruits in orchards. Symptomatic fruits were harvested from commercial guava orchards, and 18 monosporic isolates were obtained. All tested isolates were pathogenic to guava fruit and showed colony and conidial characteristics indicative of cercosporoid fungi. Phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated gene sequences showed that all isolates belonged to the genus Cercospora and clustered into four haplotypes. Conidia released 3–5 germ tubes, and penetration occurred through the stomata. All isolates produced cercosporin. Histopathological analyses showed that hyphal growth occurred intercellularly and that there was a collapse of epidermal and subepidermal cells in the injured areas. In addition, the oil cavities in the lesioned tissue had large numbers of lipid droplets compared with the nonlesioned tissue. This is the first report of Cercospora spp. as the causal agent of pink spot disease of guava fruit in Brazil.

Species of Passalora s. lat. are phytopathogenic fungi that generally cause leaf spot diseases on a broad variety of plants throughout the world. During our investigations exploring cercosporoid fungi associated with leaf spot symptoms of fruit and forest trees in northern and north-western Iran, several passalora-like fungi were isolated from symptomatic leaves of trees belonging to the Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Rosaceae, and Ulmaceae. A polyphasic taxonomic approach applying molecular data, morphological features, and host data was employed to identify the isolates. In a multi-gene phylogenetic analysis (LSU, ITS, and RPB2), these isolates are clustered in four clades in the Mycosphaerellaceae. The taxa encompassed Paracercosporidium microsorum on Tilia platyphyllos, Prathigadoides gleditsiae-caspicae gen. et. sp. nov. on Gleditsia caspica, Pruniphilomyces circumscissus on Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus, and Sirosporium celtidis on Celtis australis. The new genus Prathigadoides and its type species Prathigadoides gleditsiae-caspicae are molecularly distinct from all phylogenetically related genera, and some characteristics of the conidiophores and conidia differ from those of the morphologically similar species Prathigada condensata on the North America Gleditsia triacanthos.

Cercosporoid fungi (Mycosphaerellaceae, Mycosphaerellales, Ascomycota) are one of the largest and most diverse groups of hyphomycetes causing a wide range of diseases of economically important plants as well as of plants in the wild. Although more than 6000 species are known for this group, the documentation of this fungal group is far from complete. Especially in the tropics, the diversity of cercosporoid fungi is poorly known. The present study aims to identify and characterise cercosporoid fungi collected on host plants belonging to Fabaceae in Benin, West Africa. Information on their morphology, host species and DNA sequence data (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, ITS and tef1) is provided. DNA sequence data were obtained by a simple and non-culture-based method for DNA isolation which has been applied for cercosporoid fungi for the first time in the context of the present study. Among the loci used for the phylogenetic analysis, tef1 provided the best resolution together with the multigene dataset. Species delimitation in many cases, however, was only possible by combining molecular sequence data with morphological characteristics. Based on forty specimens recently collected in Benin, 18 species are presented with morphological descriptions, illustrations and sequence data. Among these, six species in the genus Cercospora and two species in Pseudocercospora are proposed as species new to science. The newly described species are Cercospora (C.) beninensis on Crotalaria macrocalyx, C. parakouensis on Desmodium tortuosum, C. rhynchophora on Vigna unguiculata, C. vignae-subterraneae on Vigna subterranea, C. tentaculifera on Vigna unguiculata, C. zorniicola on Zornia glochidiata, Pseudocercospora sennicola on Senna occidentalis and Pseudocercospora tabei on Vigna unguiculata. Eight species of cercosporoid fungi are reported for Benin for the first time, three of them, namely C. cf. canscorina, C. cf. fagopyri and C. phaseoli-lunati are new for West Africa. The presence of two species of cercosporoid fungi on Fabaceae previously reported from Benin, namely Nothopassalora personata and Passalora arachidicola, is confirmed.

Cryptic diversity, multilocus phylogeny, and pathogenicity of cercosporoid fungi associated with common bean and cowpea

The taxonomy of 44 specimens of cercosporoid fungi from Hawaii and New York, USA, was elucidated through multi-locus phylogenetic analyses of the LSU and ITS regions of the nrDNA as well as partial sequences of the actin, calmodulin, histone H3, and translation elongation factor 1-α genes. Sequences of four additional loci, namely, partial beta-tubulin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, and the cercosporin facilitator protein-encoding gene, were used to resolve evolutionary species boundaries within the Cercospora beticola species complex using concatenated multi-locus phylogenies and the genealogical divergence index (gdi). Four novel Cercospora species, C. americana sp. nov., C. hawaiiensis sp. nov., C. manoa sp. nov., and C. tecta sp. nov. are described. Neocercospora carotae comb. nov. is made for Cercospora apii var. carotae, which is neotypified. Cercospora cf. citrulina and Pseudocercospora ocimi-basilici are reported for the first time in Hawaii. Cercospora beticola, Pluripassalora bougainvilleae, and Pseudocercospora pittospori are confirmed in Hawaii. Strelitziana africana, isolated from leaves of Ipomoea pes-caprae and Bougainvillea sp. affected by Cercospora spp., is reported for the first time in the USA.

In this review, we present an historic account of the work on the diversity of fungi associated with plants of the Cerrado Biome, including an overview of the studies carried out by the research group of the Mycological Collection connected to the Herbarium UB (Universidade de Brasília), and the rust fungi in Herbarium IBI (Instituto Biológico, São Paulo). The contributions to Cerrado mycology from the early 19th century to the present days were highlighted. Illustrative maps were included to show the geographical distribution of the main fungal groups, associated with native plants of the Cerrado, belonging to the five predominant orders: Pucciniales (rust fungi), Phyllachorales (tar-spot fungi), Capnodiales (cercosporoid fungi: Family Mycosphaerellaceae), as well as Meliolales and Asterinales (black mildews).

A dematiaceous hyphomycete with erect unbranched conidiophore stipes and Cladosporium-like branched conidial chains arranged at nodes along the stipe was found on living leaves of wild banana (Musa itinerans) in Taiwan. Scanning electron microscopy indicated a type of conidiogenous loci differing from that of Cladosporium by lacking the cleft between raised center and margin. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of several loci (LSU, ITS, TEF, RPB2) indicated a relationship with cercosporoid fungi (Mycosphaerellaceae). Since there is no other known lineage with similar morphology or DNA sequences, the new genus and species Cladocillium musae is proposed.

Using stereo- and light microscopy, two leaf-spotting cercosporoid fungi, collected from areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, were shown to represent two new species (Pseudocercospora seropedicensis on Solanum asperum and P. solani-cernui on S. cernuum), which are herein described and illustrated.

A checklist of cercosporoid fungi reported from Himachal Pradesh, India, has been prepared on the basis of available publications.A total of 103 species belonging to 15 genera of cercosporoid fungi have been reported from Himachal Pradesh on 118 plant species belonging to 46 families.The species richness of cercosporoid fungi in the region was as follows; Cercospora (50), Pseudocercospora (23), Ramularia and Passalora (7 each), Stigmina & Mycosphaerella (3 each), Sirosporium (2), Cercosporella, Distomycovellosiella and Mycovellosiella, Neocercosporidium, Neopseudocercosporella, Nothopassalora, Rosisphaerella & Teratosphaeria (1 each).The highest numbers of cercosporoid fungi were recorded on plant hosts of the family Solanaceae (12 species) followed by Fabaceae (10 species), Asteraceae and Rosaceae (8 species each), Amaranthaceae (5 species), Malvaceae and Smilaceae (4 species each), Acanthaceae, Poaceae, Polygonaceae and Ranunculaceae (3 species each), while the rest of families were found associated with 1-2 cercosporoid speices.

This study aimed to develop an efficient method for inducing sporulation of three species of cercosporoid fungi (Cercospora manihobae, Passalora henningsii, and Passalora vicosae) causing leaf spots in cassava. We evaluated a method using mycelial fragments shake-incubated in liquid culture medium followed by a drying process. All evaluated media (potato dextrose, vegetable broth, and V8 juice at concentrations of 10% and 20%) were efficient in inducing sporulation of the species, but in different amounts. The highest conidial production (from 1.8 × 104 to 5.6 × 104 conidia mL−1) was achieved when the isolates were cultured on V8 medium, regardless of the concentration (10 or 20%). In addition, we verified that the conidial production increased when the isolates were cultured in liquid medium under agitation for a longer time. The optimal time of incubation was different for the three species (on average 12.8 days for C. manihobae, 16.7 days for P. vicosae, and over 15 days for P. henningsii). The findings will be useful for studies requiring abundant production of cercosporoid conidia of cassava in artificial media.

ABSTRACTThe South American vine Araujia hortorum (Apocynaceae) is now considered an invasive species in many countries. In New Zealand it has been targeted for biological control. In its native range in Argentina it is frequently affected by cercosporoid fungi but little is known about the diseases they cause. These pathogens produce no, or scarce, conidia on common artificial media thus hindering certain experimental studies such as pathogenicity and host range tests. We developed a technique to obtain abundant sporulation of two cercosporoid species isolated from diseased leaves of this host. Sporulation was studied and compared on several artificial culture media after different incubation periods. The best results were obtained on a medium prepared with a decoction of the leaves of the host and the addition of CaCO3, after an incubation period of eight days at 25°C for Cercospora sp. and after five days at 20°C for Pseudocercospora fumosa. It is expected the new medium may prove useful for other cercosporoid pathogens as well, at least for those affecting related hosts in the Apocynaceae.

Lonicera vidalii Franch. & Sav. (family Caprifoliaceae) is a native tree in Korea and Japan. It is a rare deciduous tree of the forest community, mainly occurring in the southern part of Korea. In September 2017, leaf spots on trees, typical symptoms caused by cercosporoid fungi, were observed in Hongneung Arboretum, Seoul, Korea (37°35′37″N, 127°02′38″E). Initial symptoms presented as orbicular to irregular, pale- to dark-brown leaf spots typically 0.2 to 0.9 cm in diameter, which in some cases merged to form larger blotches across the surface of mature leaves. At infection sites, septate, branched, hyaline to pale brown, smooth, and 2 to 2.5 μm wide hyphae of the fungus were seen emerging through the stomata at the adaxial leaf side. Stromata were large and well-developed, globular, olivaceous brown, 30 to 50 µm in diameter, and emerging through stomatal openings. Conidiophores were aggregated in loose to dense fascicles through stomatal openings, subcylindrical, proliferating sympodially, straight to slightly geniculate, one- to four-septate, 15 to 53 × 3.5 to 5.5 μm, and smooth. Conidiogenous cells were terminal, cylindrical, proliferating sympodially, and 12.5 to 27 × 3.5 to 5.5 μm. Conidia were solitary, guttulate cylindrical to narrowly obclavate, straight to mildly curved, obtuse to rounded at the apex, one- to four-septate, variable in length, and 19 to 97 × 2 to 4 μm. Three monoconidial isolates were deposited in the culture collection (CDH) of the National Institute of Forest Science, Korea (CDH2017-15 to CDH2017-17). To ensure the identity of the fungus, genomic DNA was extracted, and sequence comparisons were made based on the partial nucleotide sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA, translation elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1α), actin, and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2), using the respective primer pairs ITS1/ITS4, EF1-728F/EF1-986R, ACT-512F/ACT-783R, and RPB2-5f2/fRPB2-7cR (Nakashima et al. 2016). The sequences obtained were deposited in GenBank (MG712852 to MG712854, MG712861 to MG712863, MG712858 to MG712860, and MG930772 to MG930774, respectively). For a phylogenetic analysis, sequences from different gene regions (ITS, EF-1α, actin, and rpb2) obtained from GenBank were aligned, concatenated, and analyzed as a single dataset based on a maximum likelihood analysis. This Korean cercosporoid fungus was positioned in a clearly distinct lineage, provisionally representing an undetermined species of Pseudocercospora, which is closest to Pseudocercospora stephanandrae (Tak. Kobay. & H. Horie) C. Nakash. & Tak. Kobay., MUCC 914 (NR 111469 in ITS, GU384526 in EF-1α, GU320516 in actin, and KX462658 in rpb2). Sequence comparisons revealed that this Korean pathogen differed from P. stephanandrae at 4 of 477 characters (∼1.0%) in the ITS, 3 of 294 (∼1.0%) in the EF-1α, 4 of 190 (∼2.1%) in the actin, and 43 of 686 (∼6.3%) in the rpb2 sequences. In addition, this Korean pathogen is morphologically distinct from P. stephanandrae by having larger stromata as well as longer conidiophores and conidial size (Nakashima and Kobayashi 2000). Based on morphology and molecular analyses, the fungus was tentatively identified as Pseudocercospora sp. (Guo and Hsieh 1995; Nakashima et al. 2016). Pathogenicity was demonstrated by hyphal suspensions from 15-day-old cultures onto leaflets of L. vidalii and then maintaining them in a growth chamber (22°C and 80% relative humidity). Controls were treated with sterile water. Distinct leaf spot symptoms on the inoculated leaflets were developed, and the controls remained symptomless. The pathogen, recovered from symptomatic leaflets, was morphologically identical to those observed in the field. Lonicera-Pseudocercospora associations were recorded in China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, New Zealand, and Brazil. However, the leaf spot infection associated with Pseudocercospora sp. on L. vidalii has not been recorded worldwide (Farr and Rossman 2017). This is the first report of leaf spot caused by Pseudocercospora sp. on L. vidalii globally as well as in Korea. The disease poses a threat to ornamental plantings and naturally growing plants of Lonicera spp. in Korea.

Fungal spores are continuously deposited on the leaf surfaces by wind impaction, sedimentation and rain wash-out from the atmosphere and splash-dispersal. They reside and act as asymptomatic mutualists, benign commensals or latent pathogens. A slight imbalance in this relation can lead to pathogenic phase of the fungi, resulting in a variety of symptoms on leaves viz. discoloration, blight, sooty-spots, shot- hole, tar spot, powdery mildew, black mildews, downy mildews, rust, smuts, galls, sooty moulds and so on. With a view of studying the foliicolous fungi, a project entitled “Foliicolous fungi of Maharashtra” was undertaken and various areas were visited in different forest ecosystems of Maharashtra. A total of 429 isolates belonging 336 fungal species and intra specific taxa recorded during this study were categorized on the basis of foliage symptoms caused by them. Out of the entire recorded fungal taxa, 19.81% fungal species cause black mildews; 5.83% fungal species belong to only cercosporoid fungi causing leaf spots; 2.10% fungal species incite powdery mildews; 10.96% cause sooty molds; 1.63% incite anthracnose; 0.23% incite leaf smut; 3.50% incite leaf rust infection; 19.35 % incite leaf spots; 11.42% cause leaf blight/canker; 0.47% fungal species incite tar spots; 1.86% incite wilt diseases and the remaining 22.84% were found to be associated with leaves as facultative parasites/saprophytes/Hyperparasites. Therefore, above studies were designed to characterize foliicolous fungi that would further help in the conservation and management of biological resources and also increase the agriculture wealth of the nation.

Mycosphaerellaceae – Chaos or clarity?