Host In Japan Research Articles

Description, molecular identification and pathological lesions of Huffmanela persica sp. nov. (Nematoda: Trichosomoididae: Huffmanelinae) from the daggertooth pike conger Muraenesox cinereus

BackgroundThe genus Huffmanela Moravec, 1987 (Nematoda, Trichosomoididae, Huffmanelinae), represents a group of nematodes that infect both marine and freshwater fish, and the main gross feature of infection with different species of the genus is the presence of noticeable dark spots or tracks within the parasitized tissues. The purpose of this study was to describe morphologically and morphometrically the eggs of a new marine species of Huffmanela (Huffmanela persica sp. nov.), which was found in the form of black spots in the ovary and the tunica serosa of the stomach of the daggertooth pike conger (Muraenesox cinereus). The new species differs from Huffmanela hamo, another species reported from musculature of this host in Japan, in egg metrics, eggshell features and targeted organ. Molecular identification and pathological examination of the lesions caused by the new species are also reported.MethodsNematode eggs with varying degrees of development were separated from the infected tissues (ovary and tunica serosa of stomach) and investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy. Different species-specific markers (small subunit ribosomal DNA, 18S; large subunit ribosomal DNA, 28S; internal transcribed spacer, ITS) were used for molecular identification and phylogenetic study of the new species. Infected tissues were fixed in buffered formalin for pathological investigations.ResultsThe fully developed eggs of H. persica sp. nov. are distinguished from those previously described from this host on the basis of their measurements (size, 54–68 × 31–43 µm; polar plugs, 6.4–9.7 × 8.4–12 µm; shell thickness, 3.5–6.1 µm) and a delicate but ornate uterine layer (UL) covering the entire eggshell including the polar plugs. Histopathological examination revealed a fibro-granulomatous inflammation in the ovary and the serosal layer of the stomach of infected fish. Maximum-likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis recovered a sister relationship between the new species of marine origin and Huffmanela species previously collected from freshwater hosts.ConclusionsThe present study is the first to report the molecular characterization and phylogenetic position of a teleost-associated marine species of the genus Huffmanela. A comprehensive list of nominal and innominate populations of Huffmanela is also provided.Graphical abstract

Pyrenopeziza orientalipetiolaris sp. nov. in Japan and morphological and genetic comparison with its relevant species P. petiolaris in Europe.

Some Asian fungi are morphologically very similar to European species but belong to different species. A fungus that resembles Pyrenopeziza petiolaris, which commonly occurs on the petioles of Acer pseudoplatanus in Europe, was found on the petioles of Acer spp. and other tree leaves in Japan. The apothecia of this fungus were smaller than those of P. petiolaris, suggesting that it is a different species. To examine this possibility, specimens of this fungus were collected from various hosts in Japan. A detailed morphological examination elucidated that this fungus differed from P. petiolaris in smaller apothecia, marginal cells of the ectal excipulum, and conidia. The ITS sequence difference between this fungus and P. petiolaris was 3.3-4.3%, and they formed distinct clades in the phylogenetic analysis, supporting that they are different species. Consequently, a new species, P. orientalipetiolaris is described. Since an undescribed phialophora-state was observed in the cultures of P. petiolaris for the first time, the morphology under culture is also reported in detail.

Pest categorisation of Dendrolimus superans.

The EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Dendrolimus superans Butler (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), the larch caterpillar, for the EU territory. D. superans is a major pest of conifer forests in Japan, northeast China and non‐European Russia. However, reports of damage are to conifer species not grown in EU forestry. Larix gmelinii and Pinus pumila are regarded as major hosts. Eggs are laid on host needles and developing larvae feed on host foliage. Larvae overwinter in the soil. In its native range, D. superans usually takes one or two years to develop. In principle, host plants for planting and plant products, such as cut branches and wood with bark, could provide pathways into the EU. However, prohibitions on the import of Abies, Cedrus, Larix, Picea, Pinus and Tsuga from areas where D. superans occurs closes such pathways. Nevertheless, a derogation for specific dwarfed Pinus plants from Japan exists. Climates similar to those in some of its existing range occur in the EU. Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) is a known host in Japan although reports of any impact are lacking. Experiments on the related species D. sibiricus indicated that larvae were able to develop on forestry conifer species occurring in the EU, but which are found outside the native range of D. sibiricus . Were D. superans to be introduced into the EU, impacts on P. abies are possible and it is conceivable that D. superans could expand its host range, as seems possible with D. sibiricus . However, this remains uncertain. Other hosts are grown in the EU as ornamentals or amenity trees. D. superans satisfies all the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest. Some uncertainty exists over the magnitude of potential environmental and economic impacts.

A phylogenetic assessment of Endocalyx (Cainiaceae, Xylariales) with E. grossus comb. et stat. nov.

The phylogenetic affinities of four representative Endocalyx taxa at the species and variety levels are studied based on materials collected on different palm hosts in Japan and the states of Hawaii and Texas, USA. They include specimens and their isolates belonging to E. cinctus, E. indumentum, E. melanoxanthus var. grossus, and E. melanoxanthus var. melanoxanthus. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence data (ITS-LSU nrDNA) confirmed that Endocalyx belongs to the order Xylariales (Sordariomycetes) where all species and varieties treated form a strongly supported monophyletic lineage within the family Cainiaceae. They were also phylogenetically well resolved and consistent with their morphological and ecological circumscription. Species status is proposed for E. melanoxanthus var. grossus under the name E. grossus comb. et stat. nov. on the basis of its distinct morphological, molecular, cultural, and ecological characteristics. The putative placement of Endocalyx within the family Apiosporaceae (Amphisphaeriales), based on the presence of basauxic conidiophores, is rejected considering that all species treated clustered within the distant Cainiaceae (Xylariales). This characteristic mode of conidiophore elongation is determined to have evolved independently within distantly related ascomycetous lineages. Novel morphological and cultural features of Endocalyx taxa based on new isolates are described and commented. The recently described E. metroxyli is reduced to a synonym with E. melanoxanthus.

Risk Assessment of African Swine Fever Virus Exposure to Sus scrofa in Japan Via Pork Products Brought in Air Passengers' Luggage.

In recent years, African swine fever (ASF) has become prevalent in many areas, including Asia. The repeated detection of the ASF virus (ASFV) genome in pork products brought in air passenger’s luggage (PPAP) was also reported from Japanese airports. In the present study, the risk of ASFV exposure to susceptible hosts in Japan via three different pathways was assessed. Two quantitative stochastic risk assessment models were built to estimate the annual probability of ASFV exposure to domestic pigs, which could be attributed to foreign job trainees or foreign tourists. A semi-quantitative stochastic model was built to assess the risk of ASFV exposure to wild boar caused by foreign tourists. The overall mean annual probability of ASFV exposure to domestic pigs via PPAP carried by foreign job trainees was 0.169 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.000–0.600], whereas that by foreign tourists was 0.050 [95% CI: 0.000–0.214], corresponding to approximately one introduction every 5.9 and 20 years, respectively. The risk of ASFV exposure to domestic pigs was dispersed over the country, whereas that of wild boar was generally higher in the western part of Japan, indicating that the characteristics of the potential ASF risk in each prefecture were varied.

Beech leaf disease symptoms caused by newly recognized nematode subspecies Litylenchus crenatae mccannii (Anguinata) described from Fagus grandifolia in North America

AbstractSymptoms of beech leaf disease (BLD), first reported in Ohio in 2012, include interveinal greening, thickening and often chlorosis in leaves, canopy thinning and mortality. Nematodes from diseased leaves of American beech (Fagus grandifolia) sent by the Ohio Department of Agriculture to the USDA, Beltsville, MD in autumn 2017 were identified as the first recorded North American population of Litylenchus crenatae (Nematology, 21, 2019, 5), originally described from Japan. This and other populations from Ohio, Pennsylvania and the neighbouring province of Ontario, Canada showed some differences in morphometric averages among females compared to the Japanese population. Ribosomal DNA marker sequences were nearly identical to the population from Japan. A sequence for the COI marker was also generated, although it was not available from the Japanese population. The nematode was not encountered in Fagus crenata (its host in Japan) living among nematode‐infested Fagus grandifolia in the Holden Arboretum, nor has L. crenatae been reported in American beech in Japan. The morphological and host range differences in North American populations are nomenclaturally distinguished as L. crenatae mccannii ssp. n. from the population in Japan. Low‐temperature scanning electron microscopy (LT‐SEM) demonstrated five lip annules and a highly flexible cuticle. Females, juveniles and eggs were imaged within buds with a Hirox Digital microscope and an LT‐SEM. Nematodes swarmed to the tips of freshly cut beech buds, but explants could not be maintained. Inoculation of fresh nematodes from infested leaves or buds to buds or leaves of F. grandifolia seedlings resulted in BLD leaf symptoms. Injuring dormant buds prior to nematode application, in fall or spring, promoted the most reliable symptom expression. The biogeography and physiology of anguinid nematode leaf galling, and potential co‐factors and transmission are discussed.

The Role of N,N,N-Trimethylglycine in Oviposition of Eurema mandarina on Albizia julibrissin.

The common grass yellow Eurema mandarina (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) uses the silk tree Albizia julibrissin (Fabaceae) as a primary host in Japan. We previously reported that D-pinitol, a cyclitol found in fresh leaves of A. julibrissin, solely elicits moderate oviposition responses from females. However, the aqueous neutral/amphoteric fraction of the fresh leaf extract containing D-pinitol weakly induces oviposition. Moreover, the aqueous neutral/amphoteric/basic fraction was significantly more active than the neutral/amphoteric fraction in eliciting responses, indicating that some basic compounds are involved in stimulating oviposition. High-resolution mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance measurements revealed that the aqueous basic faction contains N,N,N-trimethylglycine (trivial name: glycine betaine) in alkali metal salt form. The average concentration of this quaternary ammonium compound in fresh leaves was estimated to be 0.012% w/w in high performance liquid chromatography analyses. The authentic N,N,N-trimethylglycine induced oviposition at concentrations greater than 0.001% (w/v) and slightly enhanced female responses to the aqueous neutral fraction and authentic D-pinitol. However, its analogues, N,N-dimethylglycine, N-methylglycine, and glycine as well as its precursor choline were inactive. These results demonstrate that N,N,N-trimethylglycine, together with D-pinitol, serves as an stimulant of E. mandarina for oviposition on the leaves of A. julibrissin.

Ectomycorrhizae formed by three Japanese truffle species (Tuber japonicum, T. longispinosum, and T. himalayense) on indigenous oak and pine species.

Modern truffle cultivation systems started in Europe in the early 1970s and are now successfully used for several European truffles throughout the world. However, systems for indigenous novel truffle species need to be developed in several regions, especially where truffle cultivation has not been attempted so far, such as in Japan. Recently, two new and one known truffle species that are expected to be edible were reported from Japan: Tuber japonicum, T. longispinosum, and T. himalayense. Here, we conducted mycorrhization trials between these three truffle species and four native tree species in Japan (Quercus acutissima, Q. phillyraeoides, Q. serrata, and Pinus densiflora) using spore suspension and trap-plant seedling techniques under axenic pot culture conditions to understand their potential host ranges and mycorrhizal morphologies and to determine whether these inoculation methods are applicable for mycorrhization of Japanese truffles with native host plants. Of the 12 combinations, nine were successful for mycorrhization, including both oak and pine trees. The T. japonicum mycorrhiza was characterized by short, needle-shaped cystidia without septa, whereas the two black truffles, T. longispinosum and T. himalayense, were indistinguishable from each other because they shared the same morphological and anatomical characters such as brownish, long cystidia with right angle ramification. These features were similar to related black truffle species. The results of the present study indicate that the inoculation method used for European truffles can also be applied for mycorrhization between Japanese truffle species and compatible native pine and/or oak hosts in Japan.

Larval host records of butterflies in Japan

AbstractUsing Japanese literature, we created a consolidated list of host records of butterflies in Japan. The list used the host records described in eight major illustrated reference books, two checklists, and 14 other pieces of literature. The presence of larvae on plants, the observation of larvae eating plants or insects in the field were considered as host records. We collected all species recorded in Japan. Scientific, family, and Japanese names of butterflies were consolidated using the BINRAN database (http://binran.lepimages.jp/). Scientific and Japanese names of host plants were based on the YList database (http://ylist.info/). If scientific names of host plants were not found in YList, we used scientific names based on The Plant List (http://www.theplantlist.org/). Family names of host plants were based on the Catalogue of Life database (http://www.catalogueoflife.org/). Scientific, family, and Japanese names of host insects were based on the MOKUROKU database (http://konchudb.agr.agr.kyushu‐u.ac.jp/mokuroku/) for Hymenoptera and the catalogue of the Paraneoptera of Japan published by the Entomological Society of Japan for Hemiptera. We also provided the references of each host record and the original names described in the referred literature. Two datasets, HostDB and ReferenceDB, were created to include 3600 records of butterfly larval hosts in Japan, along with scientific and Japanese names of each species and a literature list. These datasets will be useful for basic and applied biological studies of butterflies. Data files are stored in the Ecological Research Data Archives (http://db.cger.nies.go.jp/JaLTER/ER_DataPapers/) and available from http://hostbj.lepumus.net/. These datasets are published under the Creative Commons License Attribution‐ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY‐SA, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by‐sa/4.0/).

Aromia bungii

Aromia bungii

P1-34-3 - Disseminated Cutaneous Infection of Mycobacterium Colombiense with Myelodyspalstic Syndrome: a Case Report

Mycobacterium colombiense(M.colomboense) belongs to the Mycobacterium avium complex(MAC). It was reported to cause the opportunistic infection of immunocompromised hosts including hematological malignancy. Only a few cases of M. colombiense infection were reported all over the world. This is the first case report of a M. colombiense infection in the immunocompromised host with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in Japan.Case: An 80-years-old man treated for Hypertension and Diabetes mellitus. He developed skin rash with hard exfoliation and eruption on his face and all over his head. The skin biopsy was performed, but initially mycobacterium was not detected. He repeatedly developed systemic inflammation derived from opportunistic infection including pleurapneumonia, so we considered the possibility of immunodeficiency and performed bone marrow aspiration and diagnosed as MDS(RA) with dysfunction of neutrophil. He developed the disseminated impetigos in his limbs and body, and MAC was detected in his pus. The MAC was specified as M.colombiense through Broad-range polymerase chain reaction(PCR). We prescribed the combination of antibiotics, consisting of rifampicin (450mg), ethambutol (750mg), and clarithromycin (800mg) in accordance with nontuberculous mycobacteriosis, and the skin lesions gradually resolved.In conclusion, we reported the first case of M.colombiense infection for immunocomplomised host in Japan and we could diagnose it through Broad-range PCR. The molecular diagnostic methods like PCR can improve the process of identification of the less common bacterial species that may cause persistent opportunistic infections.

Pathogenic and genetic diversity in Plasmodiophora brassicae (clubroot) from Japan

Clubroot disease, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin, affects various cruciferous crops. Variations in pathogenicity and virulence are present among field populations of P. brassicae. Many races (pathotypes) have been reported in Japan as well as in other countries using various differential systems. Populations can be classified into four pathotypes using two clubroot-resistant (CR) cultivars of Chinese cabbage as differential hosts in Japan. However, it was recently indicated that each population is often heterogenic and composed of multiple genotypes (races or pathotypes). Breakdown in CR cultivars of Chinese cabbage is a problem in some areas of Japan and may contribute to the selective propagation of minor pathogenic genotypes on the CR cultivars. Clubroot has also been recorded on five species of cruciferous weeds in Japan. In particular, clubroot of Cardamine flexuosa is widely distributed in Japan. Some populations of C. flexuosa are often moderately pathogenic on Chinese cabbage and turnip. Therefore, the epidemiological relationship between clubroot of cruciferous crops and that of the weed has been noted but not thoroughly clarified. The relationship between pathogenic and genetic variations has also been examined among populations from cruciferous crops and weeds in Japan. The result implies an interesting genetic relationship among Williams’ races, among pathotypes determined using CR cultivars of Chinese cabbage and among populations from crops and C. flexuosa. This review includes an introduction of the status of studies on pathogenic and genetic diversity in P. brassicae from Japan.

Enterotoxicity of Extract from <i>Sarcocystis</i> Cysts with Canine Final Host in Japan

Enterotoxicity of Extract from <i>Sarcocystis</i> Cysts with Canine Final Host in Japan

Cuckoo parasitism on two closely-related Acrocephalus warblers in distant areas: a case of parallel coevolution?

Common Cuckoos (<i>Cuculus canorus</i>) parasitize nests of small passerines. The Cuckoo chicks cause the death of their nest-mates when evicting eggs or nestlings from the nests; consequently, hosts suffer from a high loss of reproduction. Host adaptations against parasitism, e.g., by egg discrimination behavior, and cuckoo counter-adaptations to hosts, e.g., by mimetic eggs, are often regarded as a result of the arms race between the two interacting species. In Hungary Great Reed Warblers (<i>Acrocephalus arundinaceus</i>) are the main hosts of cuckoos, suffering from heavy parasitism (ca. 40-65%). The Oriental Reed Warbler (<i>A. orientalis</i>), formerly a subspecies of the Great Reed Warbler (<i>A. a. orientalis</i>), is also a highly parasitized host in Japan (25-40%). We compared main characteristics of Cuckoo parasitism in these two distant areas from the Western and Eastern Palearctic by comparing cuckoo egg mimicry. We measured color characteristics of host and parasitic eggs by spectrophotometer. Visual modeling revealed lower chromatic distances between Cuckoo and host eggs in Hungary than in Japan, but high variation both in host and Cuckoo eggs may cause matching problems in Hungary. Achromatic (brightness) difference between host and Cuckoo eggs were lower in Japan than in Hungary, and it proved to be the most important factor affecting egg rejection. Hosts rejected Cuckoo eggs at similar frequencies (37% and 35% in Hungary and Japan, respectively). Host adaptation, i.e., egg rejection behavior, seems to be preceding Cuckoo counter-adaptations to hosts in Japan. We suggest that the Cuckoo-Great/Oriental Reed Warbler relationships developed in alternative ways in Japan and Hungary, and they represent different stages of their arms race.

First description of the male of Gonatopus javanus (R.C.L. Perkins) determined by mitochondrial COI sequence (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae)

AbstractGonatopus javanus (R.C.L. Perkins) was newly recorded from Japan and India. The males collected together with females of G. javanus from Japan were identified as previously unknown opposite sex of the species because they share identical sequences of mitochondrial COI. The sequence was different from that of G. clavipes (Thunberg) by 11%. The male of G. javanus was described as new to science. Doratulina producta (Matsumura) is implied as host in Japan. The utility of molecular marker to identify the dryinid taxa showing sexual dimorphism is discussed.

Isolation of sporocyst broodsacs of the genus Leucochloridium (Leucochloridiidae: Trematoda) from the intermediate host, Succinea lauta, in Japan.

Green- or brown-striped trematode sporocyst broodsacs typical of Leucochloridium infecting the ocular tentacles of a land snail, Succinea lauta, were collected in Abashiri, Hokkaido in northern Japan (N43 degrees 59', E144 degrees 14') in June of 2000 and 2001. The metacercariae isolated from the sporocyst broodsac were morphologically identified as Leucochloridium spp. (Leucoclhoridiidae Poche). This report is the first to describe evidential specimens of the sporocyst broodsac of the genus Leucochloridium Carus, 1835, infecting the intermediate host in Japan, suggesting that Leucochloridium spp. completes their life cycle in Hokkaido, Japan.

Intimacy for Sale: Masculinity, Entrepreneurship, and Commodity Self in Japan's Neoliberal Situation

This article examines the creation of entrepreneurial male subjects in Japan's host clubs. Based on my ethnographic study, I argue that hosts' entrepreneurship is constituted by commodifying themselves. This paradoxical – commodified, yet entrepreneurial – male subject is embedded in the new possibilities and constraints posed by Japan's neoliberal restructuring and global economic trends. Hosts, who dream of earning fast cash and achieving upward class mobility, perceive the hosting business as a gateway to success, fame, and luxurious lifestyles. As a result, they ‘voluntarily’ commodify themselves and feed into the club's profit-making. They are also exploiting the consumer logic of desirability and the neoliberal values of entrepreneurship. By doing so, they hope to better position themselves in contrast to the work ethic and status of Japan's conventionally hegemonic masculine icon, the Salaryman. I contend that neoliberal reform in Japan is not a mere politico-economic reaction to globalization, but a socio-historically specific situation in which individual desires, Japan's social values and ethics, and global economic trends discursively intersect, align, and produce a new mode of attachment to individual freedom and flexible accumulation of capital.

Molecular Epidemiology of Japanese Avian Pasteurella multocida Strains by the Single-Enzyme Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis

Molecular epidemiology analyses of the 36 clinical isolates of Pasteurella multocida from various avian hosts in Japan between 1976 to 2007 including 5 reference strains from the U.S.A., Taiwan and Indonesia were performed by employing the single-enzyme amplified fragment length polymorphism (SE-AFLP) comparison with the classical ApaI-based pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). As the results, SE-AFLP gave 21 profiles while PFGE gave 20 profiles. The Simpson's index of diversity analysis indicated that SE-AFLP gave a high discrimination power than PFGE. This concluded that SE-AFLP is a higher discrimination power than PFGE to differentiate avian P. multocida isolates in Japan. In addition, the genetical profiles suggested that there is the evolution of somatic serotype 3 strain in the indigenous host of Japan.

Strategic Variation in Mobbing as a Front Line of Defense against Brood Parasitism

Coevolutionary arms races, where adaptations in one party select for counter-adaptations in another and vice versa, are fundamental to interactions between organisms and their predators, pathogens, and parasites [1]. Avian brood parasites and their hosts have emerged as model systems for studying such reciprocal coevolutionary processes [2, 3]. For example, hosts have evolved changes in egg appearance and rejection of foreign eggs in response to brood parasitism from cuckoos, and cuckoos have evolved host-egg mimicry as a counter-response [4-6]. However, the host's front line of defense is protecting the nest from being parasitized in the first place [7-10], yet little is known about the effectiveness of nest defense as an antiparasite adaptation, and its coevolutionary significance remains poorly understood [10]. Here we show first that mobbing of common cuckoos Cuculus canorus by reed warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus is an effective defense against parasitism. Second, mobbing of cuckoos is a phenotypically plastic trait that is modified strategically according to local parasitism risk. This supports the view that hosts use a "defense in-depth strategy," with successive flexible lines of defense that coevolve with corresponding offensive lines of the parasite. This highlights the need for more holistic research into the coevolutionary consequences when multiple adaptations and counter-adaptations evolve in concert [11].

First Report of Seven Species of Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck Fungi on Asimina triloba in Iowa.

Fungi in the sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) complex cause major economic losses on cultivated pome fruits in humid regions worldwide and also colonize many species of reservoir host plants. In 2007, 10 mature fruit of pawpaw (Asimina triloba), a native tree in eastern North America exhibiting SBFS colonies on the epicuticular wax layer, were collected from wild trees in eastern Iowa. Colonies of SBFS fungi on the fruit were described according to mycelial type (1). Isolates of representative colonies on acidified water agar were subcultured on potato dextrose agar and the morphological characters were observed. After DNA was extracted from cultures and amplified by PCR using primer set ITS-1F/ITS4, 470-bp sequences were compared with those of previously identified SBFS species using NCBI BLAST. The BLAST analysis showed 100% homology of the sequences with six species that had been previously confirmed to cause SBFS on apple fruit by fulfilling Koch's postulates (1): Colletogloeum sp. FG2, Dissoconium aciculare, Peltaster sp. P2.1, P. fructicola, Stomiopeltis versicola, and Stomiopeltis sp. RS1 (GenBank Accession Nos. AY598907, AY598874, AY5988888, AY598887, AY5160165, and AY598882, respectively). Using the NCBI bl2seq application, Dothideomycete sp. CS2, an additional previously confirmed SBFS species, was revealed by sequence homology. Morphology of some SBFS species on pawpaw differed from that on apple. For example, Colletogloeum sp. FG2, which produces the fuliginous mycelial type (1) on apple fruit, developed the ridged honeycomb mycelial type on pawpaw fruit. D. aciculare and Stomiopeltis sp. RS1 produced the compact speck mycelial type on pawpaw, but are known to develop discrete speck and ramose mycelial types, respectively, on apple. These differences may result from host species differences in the epicuticular wax layer of the fruit. To our knowledge, this is the first report of SBFS fungi on A. triloba in North America, although the SBFS species Zygophiala jamaicensis was reported on the same host in Japan (2). Identifying SBFS fungi on reservoir host plants is an important step toward improving disease management strategies.