Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition Research Articles

Novel species, morpho‐molecular identification and pathogenicity of Allophoma (Didymellacaeae) causing leaf spots of true mangroves and mangrove associates in Thailand

AbstractTrue mangroves and mangrove associates are salt‐tolerant trees and shrubs that serve a critical role in preserving the ecological balance of tropical and subtropical estuarine environments. However, they are not immune to the damage caused by fungal pathogens. In this study, leaves exhibiting leaf spot symptoms were gathered from mangrove estuary and forests in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand. Through morphological and multilocus phylogenetic analyses (LSU, ITS, RPB2 and TUB2) along with genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition, we identified Allophoma acanthi sp. nov. from Acanthus ilicifolius. Additionally, A. minor was identified as the causative agent of leaf spots in true mangrove and mangrove associate species, namely, Acanthus ilicifolius, Combretum sp., Hibiscus tiliaceus, Intsia bijuga, Lumnitzera racemosa and Sonneratia alba. We also provide evidence to support the synonymization of A. thunbergiae with A. minor. All eight isolates of Allophoma species in this study demonstrated pathogenicity to their original hosts with varied virulence, confirming Koch's postulates. Our findings contribute to the understanding of fungal pathogens affecting true mangroves and mangrove associates.

Jaltomata tlaxcala, a new species of the genus Jaltomata (Solanaceae, Solanoideae, Solaneae)

The taxonomic status of a specimen of the genus Jaltomata recovered from the Central Highland Valley of Mexico was realized. Phylogenetic analysis was performed via Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods complemented with Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition (GCPSR) using the PHI test. The results indicated that the specimen in study belongs to the genus Jaltomata sp. nov. supported by PHI test (φ=1.0) showing no evidence of recombination. Characteristics of corolla, pedicel and calyx, stigma, anthers, fruit, and seeds, differentiated this species. Based on the results, the name Jaltomata tlaxcala is proposed for this new species.

A review of recently introduced Aspergillus, Penicillium, Talaromyces and other Eurotiales species.

The order Eurotiales is diverse and includes species that impact our daily lives in many ways. In the past, its taxonomy was difficult due to morphological similarities, which made accurate identification of species difficult. This situation improved and stabilised with recent taxonomic and nomenclatural revisions that modernised Aspergillus, Penicillium and Talaromyces. This was mainly due to the availability of curated accepted species lists and the publication of comprehensive DNA sequence reference datasets. This has also led to a sharp increase in the number of new species described each year with the accepted species lists in turn also needing regular updates. The focus of this study was to review the 160 species described between the last list of accepted species published in 2020 until 31 December 2022. To review these species, single-gene phylogenies were constructed and GCPSR (Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition) was applied. Multi-gene phylogenetic analyses were performed to further determine the relationships of the newly introduced species. As a result, we accepted 133 species (37 Aspergillus, two Paecilomyces, 59 Penicillium, two Rasamsonia, 32 Talaromyces and one Xerochrysium), synonymised 22, classified four as doubtful and created a new combination for Paraxerochrysium coryli, which is classified in Xerochrysium. This brings the number of accepted species to 453 for Aspergillus, 12 for Paecilomyces, 535 for Penicillium, 14 for Rasamsonia, 203 for Talaromyces and four for Xerochrysium. We accept the newly introduced section Tenues (in Talaromyces), and series Hainanici (in Aspergillus sect. Cavernicolarum) and Vascosobrinhoana (in Penicillium sect. Citrina). In addition, we validate the invalidly described species Aspergillus annui and A. saccharicola, and series Annuorum (in Aspergillus sect. Flavi), introduce a new combination for Dichlaena lentisci (type of the genus) and place it in a new section in Aspergillus subgenus Circumdati, provide an updated description for Rasamsonia oblata, and list excluded and recently synonymised species that were previously accepted. This study represents an important update of the accepted species lists in Eurotiales. Taxonomic novelties: New sections: Aspergillus section Dichlaena Visagie, Kocsubé & Houbraken. New series: Aspergillus series Annuorum J.J. Silva, B.T. Iamanaka, Frisvad. New species: Aspergillus annui J.J. Silva, M.H.P. Fungaro, Frisvad, M.H. Taniwaki & B.T. Iamanaka; Aspergillus saccharicola J.J. Silva, Frisvad, M.H.P. Fungaro, M.H. Taniwaki & B.T. Iamanaka. New combinations: Aspergillus lentisci (Durieu & Mont.) Visagie, Malloch, L. Kriegsteiner, Samson & Houbraken; Xerochrysium coryli (Crous & Decock) Visagie & Houbraken. Citation: Visagie CM, Yilmaz N, Kocsubé S, Frisvad JC, Hubka V, Samson RA, Houbraken J (2024). A review of recently introduced Aspergillus, Penicillium, Talaromyces and other Eurotiales species. Studies in Mycology 107: 1-66. doi: 10.3114/sim.2024.107.01.

Appressoria-Producing Sordariomycetes Taxa Associated with Jasminum Species.

Appressoria are specialized structures formed by certain phytopathogenic fungi during the early stages of the infection process. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in understanding the formation, types, and functions of appressoria. Besides being formed primarily by fungal pathogens, many studies have reported their occurrence in other life modes such as endophytes, epiphytes, and saprobes. In this study, we observed the formation of appressoria in fungal genera that have been found associated with leaf spots and, interestingly, by a saprobic species. We used morphological descriptions and illustrations, molecular phylogeny, coalescent-based Poisson tree processes (PTP) model, inter- and intra-species genetic distances based on their respective DNA markers, and Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition Analysis (GCPSR) to establish a new species (Pseudoplagiostoma jasmini), a Ciliochorella sp., and a new host record (Coniella malaysiana). The Ciliochorella sp. is reported as a saprobe, while Pseudoplagiostoma jasmini and Coniella malaysiana were found to be associated with leaf spots of Jasminum species. All three taxa produce appressoria, and this is the first study that reports the formation of appressoria by a Ciliochorella sp. and a Pseudoplagiostoma sp.

Resolving the Globisporangium ultimum (Pythium ultimum) species complex

ABSTRACT The Globisporangium ultimum (formerly Pythium ultimum) species complex was previously composed of two morphological varieties: var. ultimum and var. sporangiiferum. Prior attempts to resolve this morphology-based species complex using molecular techniques have been inconclusive or conflicting. The increased availability of sequenced genomes and isolates identified as G. ultimum var. ultimum and var. sporangiiferum has allowed us to examine these relationships at a higher resolution and with a broader scope than previously possible. Using comparative genomics, we identified highly variable gene regions and designed primers for four new protein-coding genes for phylogenetics. These were then used alongside three known markers to generate a nuclear multigene genealogy of the species complex. From a collection of 163 isolates belonging to the target taxa, a subset of 29 was chosen to be included in this study (verified with nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer 1 [ITS1] and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 [cox1] sequences). Seventeen isolates of var. ultimum were selected to be representative of variations in genotype, morphology, and geographic collection location. The 12 isolates of var. sporangiiferum included all available specimens identified either morphologically (in previous studies) or through sequence similarity with ITS1 and cox1. Based on the fulfillment of reciprocal monophyly and observed genealogical concordance under the genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition, we determined that the Globisporangium ultimum species complex is composed of four genetically distinct species: Globisporangium ultimum, Globisporangium sporangiiferum, Globisporangium solveigiae, and Globisporangium bothae.

New Resinogalea species from Araucaria araucana resin in Chile and reclassification of the genus in the Cryptocaliciomycetidae.

Araucaria araucana is an ancient conifer, native to the mountain ranges in Chile and Argentina. These trees host a large number of organisms, mainly insects, strongly or even exclusively associated with them. The recent emergence of a novel canker disease on A. araucana has emphasised the importance of fungi associated with these iconic trees and has resulted in the discovery of various new species. In this study, we considered the identity of an unknown calicioid fungus consistently found on resin on the branches of A. araucana. Preliminary phylogenetic analyses placed isolates in the recently described sub-class Cryptocaliciomycetidae, closest to Cryptocalicium blascoi. However, the morphology of the ascomata and its occurrence in a unique niche suggested that the closest relative could be Resinogalea humboldtensis (Bruceomycetaceae, incertae sedis), a fungus with similar sporing structures found on resin of Araucaria humboldtensis in New Caledonia. There are no living cultures or sequence data available for either R. humboldtensis or its supposed closest relative, Bruceomyces castoris, precluding sequence-based comparisons. Morphological comparisons of the sporing structures on A. araucana confirmed that the ascomatal morphology of our unknown calicioid fungus and R. humboldtensis are almost identical and resemble each other more so than B. castoris or Cr. blascoi. A phylogenetic analysis based on the small subunit (SSU), internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA regions resolved our strains into two clades with Cr. blascoi as its closest relative. Further analyses applying the Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition (GCPSR) based on ITS, mini chromosome maintenance protein complex (MCM7), RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF) gene regions, confirmed that strains represent two new species. Based on our morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses, we introduce two new Resinogalea species, R. araucana and R. tapulicola, and reclassify the genus in the subclass Cryptocaliciomycetidae.

(2952) Proposal to conserve the name Coccidioides posadasii against Posadasia esferiformis, Coccidium posadasi, Pseudococcidioides mazzae, Geotrichum louisianoideum, Glenospora meteuropea, Glenospora metamericana and Trichosporon proteolyticum (Ascomycota)

(2952) Proposal to conserve the name <i>Coccidioides posadasii</i> against <i>Posadasia esferiformis</i>, <i>Coccidium posadasi</i>, <i>Pseudococcidioides mazzae</i>, <i>Geotrichum louisianoideum</i>, <i>Glenospora meteuropea</i>, <i>Glenospora metamericana</i> and <i>Trichosporon proteolyticum</i> (<i>Ascomycota</i>)

Endophytic Trichoderma species from rubber trees native to the Brazilian Amazon, including four new species.

Fungi belonging to the genus Trichoderma have been widely recognized as efficient controllers of plant diseases. Although the majority of isolates currently deployed, thus far, have been isolated from soil, endophytic Trichoderma spp. is considered to be a promising option for application in biocontrol. In this study, 30 endophytic Trichoderma isolates-obtained from the leaves, stems, and roots of wild Hevea spp. in the Brazilian Amazon-were analyzed using specific DNA barcodes: sequences of internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 of rDNA (ITS region), genes encoding translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1-α), and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2). The genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) concept was used for species delimitation. A phylogenetic analysis showed the occurrence of Trichoderma species, such as T. erinaceum, T. ovalisporum, T. koningiopsis, T. sparsum, T. lentiforme, T. virens, and T. spirale. Molecular and morphological features resulted in the discovery of four new species, such as T. acreanum sp. nov., T. ararianum sp. nov., T. heveae sp. nov., and T. brasiliensis sp. nov. The BI and ML analyses shared a similar topology, providing high support to the final trees. The phylograms show three distinct subclades, namely, T. acreanum and T. ararianum being paraphyletic with T. koningiopsis; T. heveae with T. subviride; and T. brasiliensis with T. brevicompactum. This study adds to our knowledge of the diversity of endophytic Trichoderma species in Neotropical forests and reveals new potential biocontrol agents for the management of plant diseases.

Three new species of Diaporthe causing leaf blight on Acer palmatum in China.

Diaporthe species are often reported as plant pathogens, endophytes, and saprobes. In this study, three new species: Diaporthe foliicola, D. monospora, and D. nanjingensis on Acer palmatum were described and illustrated based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses. Phylogenetic relationships of the new species were determined by multilocus phylogenetic analyses based on partial sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF), beta-tubulin (TUB), histone H3 (HIS) and calmodulin (CAL) genes. Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition (GCPSR) with a pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test was used to verify the conclusions of the phylogenetic analyses. All species were illustrated and their morphology and phylogenetic relationships with other related Diaporthe species are discussed. In addition, the tests of Koch's postulates showed that the three new species were pathogens causing leaf blight on A. palmatum.

Out of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau: Origin, evolution and historical biogeography of Morchella (both Elata and Esculenta clades).

Morchella has become a research hotspot because of its wide distribution, delicious taste, and phenotypic plasticity. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau subkingdoms (QTPs) are known as the cradle of Ice age biodiversity. However, the diversity of Morchella in the QTPs has been poorly investigated, especially in phylogenetic diversity, origin, and biogeography. The genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR, based on Bayesian evolutionary analysis using sequences from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), nuclear large subunit rDNA (nrLSU), translation elongation factor 1-α (EF1-α), and the largest and second largest subunits of RNA polymerase II (RPB1 and RPB2)), differentiation time estimation, and ancestral region reconstruction were used to infer Morchella's phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography in the QTPs. Firstly, a total of 18 Morchella phylogenetic species are recognized in the QTPs, including 10 Elata clades and 8 Esculenta clades of 216 individuals Secondly, the divergences of the 18 phylogenetic species were 50.24-4.20 Mya (Eocene-Pliocene), which was closely related to the geological activities in the QTPs. Furthermore, the ancestor of Morchella probably originated in the Northern regions (Qilian Shan, Elata cade) and southwestern regions (Shangri-La, Esculenta clade) of QTPs and might have migrated from North America (Rufobrunnea clade) via Beringian Land Bridge (BLB) and Long-Distance Dispersal (LDD) expansions during the Late Cretaceous. Moreover, as the cradle of species origin and diversity, the fungi species in the QTPs have spread out and diffused to Eurasia and South Africa starting in the Paleogene Period. This is the first report that Esculenta and Elata clade of Morchella originated from the QTPs because of orogenic, and rapid differentiation of fungi is strongly linked to geological uplift movement and refuge in marginal areas of the QTPs. Our findings contribute to increasing the diversity of Morchella and offer more evidence for the origin theory of the QTPs.

A monograph of Aspergillus section Candidi.

Aspergillus section Candidi encompasses white- or yellow-sporulating species mostly isolated from indoor and cave environments, food, feed, clinical material, soil and dung. Their identification is non-trivial due to largely uniform morphology. This study aims to re-evaluate the species boundaries in the section Candidi and present an overview of all existing species along with information on their ecology. For the analyses, we assembled a set of 113 strains with diverse origin. For the molecular analyses, we used DNA sequences of three house-keeping genes (benA, CaM and RPB2) and employed species delimitation methods based on a multispecies coalescent model. Classical phylogenetic methods and genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) approaches were used for comparison. Phenotypic studies involved comparisons of macromorphology on four cultivation media, seven micromorphological characters and growth at temperatures ranging from 10 to 45 °C. Based on the integrative approach comprising four criteria (phylogenetic and phenotypic), all currently accepted species gained support, while two new species are proposed (A. magnus and A. tenebricus). In addition, we proposed the new name A. neotritici to replace an invalidly described A. tritici. The revised section Candidi now encompasses nine species, some of which manifest a high level of intraspecific genetic and/or phenotypic variability (e.g., A. subalbidus and A. campestris) while others are more uniform (e.g., A. candidus or A. pragensis). The growth rates on different media and at different temperatures, colony colours, production of soluble pigments, stipe dimensions and vesicle diameters contributed the most to the phenotypic species differentiation. Taxonomic novelties: New species: Aspergillus magnus Glässnerová & Hubka; Aspergillus neotritici Glässnerová & Hubka; Aspergillus tenebricus Houbraken, Glässnerová & Hubka. Citation: Glässnerová K, Sklenář F, Jurjević Ž, Houbraken J, Yaguchi T, Visagie CM, Gené J, Siqueira JPZ, Kubátová A, Kolařík M, Hubka V (2022). A monograph of Aspergillus section Candidi. Studies in Mycology 102: 1-51. doi: 10.3114/sim.2022.102.01.

Reducing the number of accepted species in Aspergillus series Nigri.

The Aspergillus series Nigri contains biotechnologically and medically important species. They can produce hazardous mycotoxins, which is relevant due to the frequent occurrence of these species on foodstuffs and in the indoor environment. The taxonomy of the series has undergone numerous rearrangements, and currently, there are 14 species accepted in the series, most of which are considered cryptic. Species-level identifications are, however, problematic or impossible for many isolates even when using DNA sequencing or MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, indicating a possible problem in the definition of species limits or the presence of undescribed species diversity. To re-examine the species boundaries, we collected DNA sequences from three phylogenetic markers (benA, CaM and RPB2) for 276 strains from series Nigri and generated 18 new whole-genome sequences. With the three-gene dataset, we employed phylogenetic methods based on the multispecies coalescence model, including four single-locus methods (GMYC, bGMYC, PTP and bPTP) and one multilocus method (STACEY). From a total of 15 methods and their various settings, 11 supported the recognition of only three species corresponding to the three main phylogenetic lineages: A. niger, A. tubingensis and A. brasiliensis. Similarly, recognition of these three species was supported by the GCPSR approach (Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition) and analysis in DELINEATE software. We also showed that the phylogeny based on benA, CaM and RPB2 is suboptimal and displays significant differences from a phylogeny constructed using 5 752 single-copy orthologous proteins; therefore, the results of the delimitation methods may be subject to a higher than usual level of uncertainty. To overcome this, we randomly selected 200 genes from these genomes and performed ten independent STACEY analyses, each with 20 genes. All analyses supported the recognition of only one species in the A. niger and A. brasiliensis lineages, while one to four species were inconsistently delimited in the A. tubingensis lineage. After considering all of these results and their practical implications, we propose that the revised series Nigri includes six species: A. brasiliensis, A. eucalypticola, A. luchuensis (syn. A. piperis), A. niger (syn. A. vinaceus and A. welwitschiae), A. tubingensis (syn. A. chiangmaiensis, A. costaricensis, A. neoniger and A. pseudopiperis) and A. vadensis. We also showed that the intraspecific genetic variability in the redefined A. niger and A. tubingensis does not deviate from that commonly found in other aspergilli. We supplemented the study with a list of accepted species, synonyms and unresolved names, some of which may threaten the stability of the current taxonomy. Citation: Bian C, Kusuya Y, Sklenář F, D'hooge E, Yaguchi T, Ban S, Visagie CM, Houbraken J, Takahashi H, Hubka V (2022). Reducing the number of accepted species in Aspergillus series Nigri. Studies in Mycology 102: 95-132. doi: 10.3114/sim.2022.102.03.

Phylogenetic conservatism of mycoparasitism and its contribution to pathogen antagonism.

Closely related species are expected to have similar functional traits due to shared ancestry and phylogenetic inertia. However, few tests of this hypothesis are available for plant-associated fungal symbionts. Fungal leaf endophytes occur in all land plants and can protect their host plant from disease by a variety of mechanisms, including by parasitizing pathogens (e.g., mycoparasitism). Here, we tested whether phylogenetic relatedness among species of Cladosporium, a widespread genus that includes mycoparasitic species, predicts the effect of this endophyte on the severity of leaf rust disease. First, we used congruence among different marker sequences (i.e., genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition criterion) to delimit species of Cladosporium. Next, in a controlled experiment, we quantified both mycoparasitism and disease modification for the selected Cladosporium species. We identified 17species of Cladosporium; all the species reduced rust disease severity in our experiment. Cladosporium phylogeny was a significant predictor of mycoparasitism. However, we did not observe a phylogenetic effect on disease severity overall, indicating that other mechanism/s operating independently of shared ancestry also contributed to endophyte effects on disease severity. Indeed, a second experiment showed that Cladosporium endophyte exudates (no live organism) from divergent species groups equally reduced disease severity. Our results reveal that multiple mechanisms contribute to the protective effects of an endophyte against a plant pathogen, but not all traits underlying these mechanisms are phylogenetically conserved.

Fine Identification and Classification of a Novel Beneficial Talaromyces Fungal Species from Masson Pine Rhizosphere Soil.

Rhizosphere fungi have the beneficial functions of promoting plant growth and protecting plants from pests and pathogens. In our preliminary study, rhizosphere fungus JP-NJ4 was obtained from the soil rhizosphere of Pinus massoniana and selected for further analyses to confirm its functions of phosphate solubilization and plant growth promotion. In order to comprehensively investigate the function of this strain, it is necessary to ascertain its taxonomic position. With the help of genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) using five genes/regions (ITS, BenA, CaM, RPB1, and RPB2) as well as macro-morphological and micro-morphological characters, we accurately determined the classification status of strain JP-NJ4. The concatenated phylogenies of five (or four) gene regions and single gene phylogenetic trees (ITS, BenA, CaM, RPB1, and RPB2 genes) all show that strain JP-NJ4 clustered together with Talaromyces brevis and Talaromyces liani, but differ markedly in the genetic distance (in BenA gene) from type strain and multiple collections of T. brevis and T. liani. The morphology of JP-NJ4 largely matches the characteristics of genes Talaromyces, and the rich and specific morphological information provided by its colonies was different from that of T. brevis and T. liani. In addition, strain JP-NJ4 could produce reduced conidiophores consisting of solitary phialides. From molecular and phenotypic data, strain JP-NJ4 was identified as a putative novel Talaromyces fungal species, designated T. nanjingensis.

First report of Head blight of wheat caused by Fusarium vorosii in Serbia.

The cosmopolitan species Fusarium graminearum Schwabe directly reduces yield, as well as grain quality of cereals, due to its ability to synthesize mycotoxins. Previously it was considered to be one species occurring on all continents. However, phylogenetic analysis employing the GCPSR method (Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition) revealed the existence of 15 phylogenetic species within what is now recognised as the Fusarium graminearum Species Complex (FGSC) (Sarver et al. 2011). During 1996-2008, a MRIZP collection of FGSC isolates was established and isolates originating from wheat (5), maize (3) and barely (2) were selected for further study. Morphological features including the appearance of colonies and macroconidia (average size 38.5-53.1 × 4.6-5.4 µm, No 50) of all 10 isolates on PDA were consistent with descriptions of F. graminearum (O'Donnell et al. 2004, Leslie and Summerell 2006). Total DNA was isolated from mycelium removed from 7-day old colonies of single-spore isolates grown on PDA using the DNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden). Further identification was based on amplification and sequencing of elongation factor TEF-1α, histone H3 and β-tubulin in both directions, with primers ef1/ef2, H3-1a/H3-1b and T1/T22, respectively (Jacobs et al. 2010). The sequences were deposited in NCBI under accession numbers MF974399 - MF974408 (TEF-1α), MG063783 - MG063792 (β-tubulin) and MF999139 - MF999148 (histone H3). Sequence analysis was performed using BLAST while genetic similarity was calculated using MEGA 6.0 software. Isolate 1339 originating from wheat (collected at the locality of Kikinda in 2006), shared 100% nucleotide identity with TEF-1α (DQ459745), histone H3 (DQ459728) and β-tubulin (DQ459643) of F. vorosii isolate NRRL37605 (Starkey et al. 2007). The remaining nine isolates were identified as F. graminearum as they shared 99% to 100% nucleotide similarity with F. graminearum NRRL 28439 (O'Donnell et al. 2004). Pathogenicity was tested using artificial inoculations of spikes during wheat flowering (Mesterhazy et al. 1999). Thirty classes were inoculated with each isolate, in three replicates. Inoculum was prepared from 7-day colonies on PDA, and 30 ml of a conidia suspension (1x105 conidia/ml) was used. Control plants were inoculated with sterile water. Three weeks after inoculation, typical Fusarium head blight symptoms were visible on inoculated plants, from which all 10 isolates were successfully reisolated. Control spikes remained symptomless. Disease severity was estimated on the 1-7 scale (Blandino et al. 2012). Average pathogenicity of the F. vorosii isolate 1339 was 1.9, and 2.4 -5.1 of F. graminearum isolates. Toxin production was determined using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Kernels inoculated with the 10 isolates were ground and tested for the presence of deoxynivalenol (DON) and its acetyl derivatives 3ADON, 15ADON and NIV. F. vorosii isolate 1339 possessed the 15ADON chemotype, as well as eight F. graminearum isolates, while only one F. graminearum isolate was 3ADON chemotype. To date, F. vorosii has only been detected in Hungary on wheat (Toth et al. 2005) and Korea on barley, corn and rice (Lee et al. 2016). This is the first report of F. vorosii in Serbia, which is of great importance, because it indicates the spread of this toxigenic species. Further studies should be focused on determining the distribution, aggressiveness and toxicological profile of F. vorosii.

Koorchaloma oryzae sp. nov. (Stachybotryaceae, Sordariomycetes), from Oryza sativa (Poaceae) in northern Thailand

A new species of Koorchaloma is described based on morphology and multigene phylogenetic analyses of ITS, LSU and RPB2. Phylogenetic analyses showed our strain clusters with K. europaea with moderate statistical support. Koorchaloma oryzae sp. nov. is morphologically similar to K. europaea, but it can be distinguished by the conidiophores and conidia, while ITS pairwise nucleotide comparison of these two species also revealed differences. Koorchaloma oryzae is compared with all known Koorchaloma species, and a key to Koorchaloma species is provided. Genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition analysis (PHI test) results of the new species and closely related species are also given.

Significance of incongruent DNA loci in the taxonomy of wood-decaying Basidioradulum radula

ABSTRACT Modern taxonomic studies of Agaricomycetes rely on the integrative analyses of morphology, environmental data, geographic distribution, and usually several DNA loci. However, sampling and selection of DNA loci for the analyses are commonly shallow. In this study, we suggest minimal numbers of necessary specimens to sample and DNA loci to analyze in order to prevent inadequate taxonomic decisions in species groups with minor morphological and genealogical differences. We sampled four unlinked nuclear DNA gene regions (nuc rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, gh63, rpb2, and tef1) to revise the systematics of a common wood-decaying species Basidioradulum radula (Hymenochaetales) on an intercontinental set of specimens collected in the Northern Hemisphere. The DNA loci analyzed violate the genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition principles, thus confirming a single-species interpretation. We conclude that Hyphodontia syringae is a younger synonym of B. radula.

Retraction Note: High diversity of Morchella and a novel lineage of the Esculenta clade from the north Qinling Mountains revealed by GCPSR-based study

China is a mainland country rich in natural morel recourses, having records of half of the worldwide 61 morel phylospecies. In this study, 31 collections of ascocarps from the north Qinling Mountains, 4 collections of commercial cultivars from the south Qinling Mountains, and 3 Morchella mycelium clones from commercial cultivars were investigated using the genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) method. Maximum-likelihood was employed for the construction of phylogenetic trees. A total of five phylogenetic species were found among the 38 collections, namely Morchella sp. Mes-8, Mes-9, Mes-13, and Mes-25, and Morchella chensiensis (IF556780), in addition to the false morel (Verpa bohemica). The identification of cultivated Morchella sp. Mel-2, Mel-6, Mel-10, and Mel-12 coincided with that of the commercial farms. A total of 80% (4/5) of yellow morels were new records for the Qinling region, except Mes-19; moreover, a novel monophyletic lineage, Morchella chensiensis, was found to be distinct from the previously reported phylospecies by single gene and combined genes analysis, thus being herein proposed as a new phylospecies. All collections from this study showed continental endemism, and all Qinling Mountains collections were grouped together in rDNA phylogenetic trees. The study provided insights on biodiversities in this key region of China.

Molecular and Morphological Assessment of Septoria Species Associated with Ornamental Plants in Yunnan Province, China.

The Karst landform is the main geographic characteristic in South China. Such areas are rich in vegetation and especially suitable for growth of shrubs and herbaceous plants. In this study, 11 Septoria strains were obtained from different plants’ leaves collected in the Kunming Botanical Garden, Yunnan Province, China. Based on single-gene and multi-gene analyses of five gene loci (tef1, rpb2, tub2, ITS, and LSU) and four gene regions (without LSU), these strains were found to belong to three independent phylogenetic lineages representing five species, including four novel taxa, and one new record for China. Five single gene trees were also provided to evaluate the effectiveness of each gene for discriminating the species, as a result of which tub2 was found to have the most suitable DNA barcode for rapid identification. Morphological descriptions, illustrations, and comparisons are provided for a more comprehensive assessment. Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition (GCPSR) with a pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test was used to evaluate the conclusions of the phylogenetic analyses.

Hidden diversity of Macrophomina associated with broadacre and horticultural crops in Australia

Worldwide, most isolates of Macrophomina (Botryosphaeriaceae) have been attributed to the generalist phytopathogen M. phaseolina. Since 2014, three cryptic species of Macrophomina have been recognised by molecular methods. This study elucidates the taxonomy of Macrophomina species associated with broadacre and horticultural crops in Australia. A five-locus phylogenetic analysis of 80 isolates of Macrophomina from 28 plant species in Australia, combined with genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition and coalescent-based species delimitation approaches, found M. phaseolina, M. pseudophaseolina and supported the introduction of M. tecta sp. nov. Macrophomina phaseolina was the most frequently isolated (88%). Macrophomina pseudophaseolina is reported for the first time in Australia. Macrophomina tecta was isolated from stems of Sorghum bicolor and Vigna radiata with charcoal rot symptoms in New South Wales and Queensland. The potential for two or more Macrophomina species to co-infect the same host has implications for disease epidemiology and pathogen evolution. Future investigations into the distribution, biology, host range and population diversity of the new Macrophomina records are needed.