Pale Spots Research Articles

First Report of Fruit Rot in European Pear Caused by Diaporthe eres in Italy

During the summer periods from 2014 to 2017, an unknown rot was observed on about 150 ripe fruit of an old variety of European pear (Pyrus communis L.) grown in a private garden located in Torre Canavese (Torino Province, northern Italy). The prevalence of the rot in the planting was estimated at 80% incidence. External symptoms were barely visible and consisted in pale brown soft irregular spots. The internal decayed area was soft, brown, irregular, starting from the endocarp. Rotted fruit fell prematurely. Several fragments (approximately 3 × 3 × 3 mm) were taken from the margin of the internal decayed tissues of 10 fruit and cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Colonies of the fungal isolate were purified and cultured on PDA, at 25 ± 1°C (14-h fluorescent light, 10-h dark). Initially, they appeared white, followed by thin aerial mycelium, later turned gray, forming concentric rings. After 20 days, colonies produced pycnidia containing hyaline, unicellular, ellipsoidal to fusiform α-conidia and hyaline, long, slender, curved β-conidia. The α-conidia measured (4.2) to 6.2 to (9.3) × (1.1) to 2.1 to (3.3) μm (n = 50), whereas the β-conidia were (13.5) to 20.8 to (29.7) × (0.6) to 1.0 to (1.4) µm (n = 50). The morphological characteristics were similar to those of Diaporthe species (anamorph: Phomopsis spp.) (Gomes et al. 2013). The identification of a representative isolate (DB14AGO27) was determined by partial sequencing of five genomic loci (internal transcribed spacer [ITS], tef1, cal, his3, and tub2), as described in Guarnaccia and Crous (2017). The obtained ITS, tef1, cal, and his3 sequences (GenBank accession nos. MH063907, MH063913, MH063895, and MH063901) and the tub2 sequence (MH063919) showed 99 and 100% identity, respectively, with those of ex-epitype isolate of Diaporthe eres Nitschke CBS 138594 (KJ210529, KJ210550, KJ434999, KJ420850, and KJ420799) (Udayanga et al. 2014). In the pathogenicity tests, four ripe European pear fruit were surface disinfested in 1% sodium hypochlorite, washed, and wounded (three wounds per fruit) using a sterile hypodermic needle. A suspension of α- and β-conidia obtained from a 20-day-old culture of the isolate DB14AGO27 grown on PDA was inoculated with 30 µl of conidial suspension (5 × 10⁵ conidia/ml). Four control fruit were wounded and treated with sterilized water. All the fruit were incubated at temperatures ranging from 23 to 27°C. After about 3 days the first symptoms started on inoculated fruit. After 6 days, rots around the inoculated fruit were evident, and the same pathogen was consistently reisolated and identified. Noninoculated fruit remained healthy. The pathogenicity test was repeated inoculating nine European pear fruit with the same method. Six days after the inoculation, rot diameters on inoculated fruit ranged from 18 to 44 (average, 33) mm, and Koch’s postulates were satisfied reisolating D. eres. Controls remained symptomless. Previously, D. eres has been recently detected in Italy, causing stem canker on Prunus persica (Prencipe et al. 2017). To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. eres on European pear in Italy. The economic importance of this disease could be a potential threat for this crop widely grown in Italy.

Description of four new species of freshwater gobies from the Black River drainage in China and Vietnam (Teleostei: Gobiidae).

Four new species of Rhinogobius Gill 1859 are described from the Black River drainage in China and Vietnam. Rhinogobius coccinella, new species, and R. nanophyllum, new species, are described from the Mengyejiang River in Yunnan, China. Rhinogobius coccinella is diagnosed by having the cheek and operculum with about 25 large dark spots and branchiostegal membrane unmarked; caudal-peduncle depth 11-12% SL; 1-5 predorsal scales; 27-30 midlateral scales; and 28 vertebrae. Rhinogobius nanophyllum is diagnosed by having the cheek, operculum and pectoral-fin base with about 90 indistinct white marks, caudal fin plain-colored, second dorsal fin magnified with a very broad dark gray median band and a broad white proximal band in males; caudal-peduncle length 22-25% SL and pectoral-fin length 21-24% SL in males; head width at operculum 53-58% HL in males, 58-61% HL in females; 0 predorsal scales; 8-10 branched rays in the second dorsal fin; 7-8 branched anal-fin rays; and 28 vertebrae. Rhinogobius ngutinhoceps, new species, is described from the Nam Na River in Lai Chau, Vietnam. It differs from all congeners by the presence of a supraotic pore β; cheek and operculum with about 65 dark marks and branchiostegal membrane unmarked in males; snout pointed; lower jaw conspicuously protruding; predorsal length 40-41% SL; 12-15 predorsal scales; and 29 vertebrae. Rhinogobius phuongae, new species, is described from the Nam Mu River in Lai Chau, Vietnam, and is diagnosed by having the cheek with about 25 indistinct dark spots and branchiostegal membrane with pale spots in males; operculum unmarked; flank plain-colored in males; a conspicuous black blotch between spines I and III of the first dorsal fin; unpaired fins with a very broad white distal band; pectoral-fin length 20-21% SL; 8-10 predorsal scales; 8-9 branched rays in the second dorsal fin; and 28 vertebrae. A key to the species of Rhinogobius occurring within the Red River drainage is given.

Occurrence of purslane leaf spot caused by Dichotomophthora lutea in Iran

Since 2015, a leaf disease showing necrotic, oval to irregular, pale brown spots with darker border had been observed on purslane in Khuzestan province, Iran. Symptomatic plants were collected and conducted to laboratory where five isolates were obtained. Based on a phylogenetic analyses using ITS and rpb2 regions, in combination with morphological characterization, the pathogen was identified as Dichotomophthora lutea. Pathogenicity of this fungus was confirmed by the inoculation of health leaves of purslane. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this pathogen on purslane in Iran.

First Report of Leaf Spot of Spinach Caused by Stemphylium beticola in Italy.

During the spring and autumn of 2017, 40-day-old spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) plants, cultivar Crocodile, grown in a commercial field in the Asti province in Piedmont (Northern Italy), showed symptoms of a previously unknown foliar disease. The first symptoms developed at air temperatures ranging from 10 to 22°C. Five to 25% of plants showed small circular, yellow to pale brown leaf spots (1 to 2 mm in diameter), with a well-defined border, generally surrounded with a yellow halo. As the lesions expanded, they changed from circular to elliptical or irregular, becoming necrotic and broken in the center. Small tissue fragments were excised from symptomatic leaves, dipped in a solution containing 1% sodium hypochlorite for 5 s, washed in sterile water, dried on sterile paper, and plated on potato dextrose agar. After 7 days of incubation under 12-h fluorescent light at 22°C, 80% of fragments were colonized by the same fungus. Examination of the isolates IT27, IT28, and IT50 grown on V8 agar medium (200 ml of V8, 15 g of agar, 0.5 g of CaCO₃, and 1 liter of distilled water) revealed multicellular, light brown pigmented, obclavate or subspherical conidia, measuring 19.2 to 31.9 μm long × 10.7 to 21.4 μm wide (length/width ratio 1.1 to 1.4), with two to four transverse and three to four longitudinal septa. Conidia developed on a distinctive brown conidiophore with a terminal enlargement. These morphological characters permitted identifying the fungus as Stemphylium sp. (Simmons 1969). Genomic DNA from 7-day-old pure cultures of IT27, IT28, and IT50 were extracted with E.Z.N.A. Plant DNA Kit (Omega Bio-Tek). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using primers ITS1/ITS4 to amplify the internal transcribed spacer, the intergenic region between 28 S and 18 S sequences of the ribosomal RNA, including the 5.8 S sequence. The PCR products were purified and sent for sequencing to BMR Genomics (Padova, Italy). BLASTn analysis (Altschul et al. 1997) of the three isolates (483 bp) showed 100% similarity with Stemphylium beticola CBS 141024 (GenBank no. NR_154925.1). Additionally, alignment with the CBS isolates used by Woudenberg et al. (2017) and the isolates from spinach was carried out using Clustal W with Mega 6.0.6 (Tamura et al. 2013). Sequence analysis of the same length sequences was performed using the maximum likelihood method with the Kimura two-parameter model plus gamma distribution. The sequences from IT27, IT28, and IT50 isolates clustered with the S. beticola strains CBS 141024, CBS 141025, and CBS 141026 (GenBank nos. KU850520, KU850521, and KU850522, respectively), allowing confirmation of the identity of isolates from spinach as S. beticola. The sequences from the isolates IT50, IT27, and IT28 were deposited in GenBank with the accession numbers MG913379, MG913380, and MG91338, respectively. The pathogenicity test was carried out by spraying a conidial suspension of 10⁵conidia/ml from a single-spore culture of strain IT50 onto leaves of 30-day-old spinach cultivar Crocodile plants, maintained under >90% relative humidity conditions for 5 days after inoculation. Pots (five per treatment, 10 plants/pot) were kept in a growth chamber at an average temperature of 20°C. The first lesions developed on leaves 8 days after inoculation, whereas control plants remained healthy. The pathogenicity test was conducted three times, providing the same results. Based on morphological and molecular analysis, the same fungus was consistently reisolated from the lesions. This is to our knowledge the first report of S. beticola on spinach in Italy and probably in Europe (Farr and Rossman 2018), although the same species has been reported on spinach in the United States (Woudenberg et al. 2017). The importance of the disease is at present limited but could rapidly increase in the cultivation areas where spinach is intensively grown.

Three new species of the ‘ Geophagus’ brasiliensis species group from the northeast Brazil (Cichlidae, Geophagini)

Morphological characters and phylogenetic trees generated by analyses of segments of two mitochondrial genes cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase I support recognition of three new species of the ‘Geophagus’ brasiliensis species group from coastal basins of northeast Brazil. All new species were diagnosed by exclusive morphological characters and exclusive nucleotide transformations.Geophagusrufomarginatussp. n., from the Rio Buranhém Basin, is distinguished from all other species of the group by dorsal-fin lappets with red edges, the presence of longitudinal series of small light blue spots between the anal-fin spines and rays, and non-denticulated gill-rakers; it is closely related toG.brasiliensisandG.iporangensis.Geophagusmultiocellussp. n., from the Rio de Contas Basin, is distinguished from all other species of the group by having small pale blue spots with minute bright blue dots at their centres, that are often vertically coalesced to form short bars on the caudal fin.Geophagussantosisp. n., from the Rio Mariana Basin, is distinguished from all other species of the group by having blue stripes parallel to the dorsal and anal fin rays on their longest portions.GeophagusmultiocellusandG.santosibelong to the same clade ofG.itapicuruensis. The clade composed by the Rio Paraguaçu Basin species was recovered as the sister group of the other species of the ‘G.’ brasiliensis species group.

Two new deep-water species of the genus Thorogobius (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the upper continental slope of the Eastern Central Atlantic.

Two new gobiid species, Thorogobius alvheimi sp. nov. and Thorogobius laureatus sp. nov. (Teleostei: Gobiiformes: Gobiidae), are described from the outer continental shelf and upper slope of the Eastern Central Atlantic off Angola, Ghana and São Tomé and Príncipe. The specimens were trawled from depths between 57 and 208m. The new species are most similar to Thorogobius angolensis. Thorogobius alvheimi sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners in the combination of following characters. Fins: first dorsal fin with the second and third spines distinctly elongated; pectoral fin ray count 20-21; pelvic disc complete and short with well-developed anterior membrane (frenum) and pointed lateral lobes. Scales: nape and predorsal area naked; no scales on opercle; scales in longitudinal series 27-31. Pattern of free neuromasts: supratemporal rows tr and trp developed, extending transversally between pores H and K; longitudinal row g short, not passing row m posteriorly and distinctly distant from row h; infraorbital row 6 long, ventrally extending to lower margin of preopercle, its ventral section 6i originating anterior to its dorsal section 6s; posterior lateral row h reaching anteriorly above posterior third of opercle. Coloration: body uniformly pale fawn and brown; margin of scale pockets dark brown pigmented, yielding a reticulated pattern; pale spots on nape and predorsal area; caudal fin uniformly dusky greyish. Thorogobius laureatus sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners in the combination of following characters. Fins: first dorsal fin the second and third spines distinctly elongated; pectoral fin ray count 19-22; pelvic disc complete, short, with well-developed anterior membrane (frenum) with pointed lateral lobes. Scales: scales on sides of predorsal area and midline mostly naked; no scales on opercle; scales in longitudinal series 24-27. Pattern of free neuromasts (sensory papillae): supratemporal rows tr and trp developed, extending transversally between pores H and K; longitudinal row g long, passing row m posteriorly and relatively close to row h; infraorbital row 6 long, ventrally extending to lower margin of preopercle, its ventral (6i) and dorsal (6s) originating opposite to each other; posterior lateral rows: row h long, reaching anteriorly above middle of opercle. Coloration: body pale fawn and brownish; margin of scale pockets dark brown pigmented, yielding a reticulated pattern; five brown blotches on flanks in lateral midline from below first dorsal fin to caudal peduncle; caudal fin with six or seven distinct dark vertical bands.

Differential diagnostic criteria for actinic keratosis

Objective — to summarize the characteristic clinical manifestations of actinic keratosis (AK), squamous cell carcinoma in situ and сutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, the allocation of differential diagnostic criteria. Materials and methods. Personalized database of SI «Scientific and Practical Center of Preventive and Clinical Medicine» of government affairs for 2015—2017 years was used. Results and discussion. We have detected a direct correlation (p ≤ 0.05) between AK and a pale pink spot with clear boundaries, surface peeling without ulceration (correlation coefficient 1.0), between SCCis and a lesion up to 1.0 cm in diameter, with clear contours and surface peeling (correlation coefficient 0.91), between cSCC and lesion of congested­pink color with expanded vessels (correlation coefficient 0.97). Other clinical signs did not have reliable correlations with the studied skin pathology. Conclusions. The in­depth study of the clinical signs of AK, SCCis and cSCC has allowed to distinguish diagnostic criteria for each form of epidermal dysplasia of the skin.

A new Taiwanese and northernmost record of Cephalopholis cyanostigma (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Serranidae)

Until recently, eleven species of the genus Cephalopholis (Serranidae) have been recorded from Taiwanese waters. Although Cephalopholis cyanostigma (Valenciennes, 1828) was previously known from the western Pacific Ocean north to Philippines, no records have been reported from Taiwan. The main objective of this study was to document the presence of C. cyanostigma in waters of Taiwan. Three specimens (169.9–189.7 mm standard length) of C. cyanostigma were collected from southern Taiwan in 2017. The morphology and fresh coloration of the collected specimens are herein described. The majority of morphological characters are consistent with those representing previous descriptions of Cephalopholis cyanostigma: dorsal-fin soft rays 16; anal-fin soft rays 8; longitudinal scale series 93; caudal fin rounded; body colour reddish brown with small dark-edged pale blue spots on head and body; body with pale spots larger than pupil form irregular bars; pectoral fin nearly all orange with dark-edged pale blue spots. The grouper specimens from southern Taiwan are identified as Cephalopholis cyanostigma. The presently reported specimens represent the first record for Taiwan, and their finding constitutes the northernmost record of this species.

Three new species of Pristimantis (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from upper montane forests and high Andean grasslands of the Pui Pui Protected Forest in central Peru

We describe three new species of Pristimantis from the upper montane forests and high Andean grasslands of the Pui Pui Protected Forest and its close surroundings (Región Junín, central Peru) and compare them morphologically and genetically with other taxonomically and biogeographically relevant species of Pristimantis. All three new species have the skin on dorsum shagreen with scattered tubercles, discontinuous dorsolateral folds, tuberculate flanks, and the skin on venter areolate. Pristimantis bounides sp. nov. is known from two localities outside the Pui Pui Protected Forest in upper montane forests between 3350 and 3463 m a.s.l. and is characterized by a snout–vent length of 18.2–21.0 mm in males (n = 3), and 21.6–24.4 mm in females (n = 4), by having a tympanum, males with vocal slits, and discs of digits slightly expanded with circumferential grooves. In life, dorsal and lateral ground coloration is pale grayish brown, orange brown, yellowish brown or reddish brown with dark grayish-brown marmorations, and a pale gray, pale greenish gray or creamish white venter with or without dark gray mottling. Pristimantis humboldti sp. nov. is known from one locality inside the Pui Pui Protected Forest, in upper montane forest at 3318 m a.s.l., and is characterized by a snout–vent length of 17.2–20.6 mm in males (n = 3), and 19.7–25.7 mm in females (n = 6), by having a tympanum, males with vocal slits, and discs of digits expanded with circumferential grooves. In life, dorsal and lateral ground coloration is orange brown with brownish-olive blotches, orange brown with grayish-brown blotches and flecks, reddish brown with grayish-brown blotches or grayish brown with orange brown blotches; throat, chest, belly, anterior and ventral surfaces of thighs, tibia, and axilla are dark gray and pale gray mottled with white and pale gray spots of different sizes and density. Pristimantis puipui sp. nov. is known from one locality inside the Pui Pui Protected Forest, in the puna at 3890 m a.s.l., and is characterized by a snout–vent length of 16.1–17.1 mm in males (n = 3), and 20.6–22.4 mm in females (n = 4), by lacking a tympanum, lacking males with vocal slits, and tips of digits narrow without circumferential grooves. In life, dorsal and lateral ground coloration is pale orange brown, reddish brown or grayish brown with or without grayish-brown mottling, and the venter is pale cream and pale gray mottled. A molecular phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences inferred that the three new species belong to the Pristimantis danae species Group distributed in the montane forests and high Andean grasslands of central Peru, including P. albertus, P. aniptopalmatus, P. ornatus, and P. stictogaster. With the three new species, 133 species of Pristimantis are currently known from Peru, eight of which inhabit the puna.

A new Schistura from the Pearl River in Guangxi, China (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae).

Schistura paraxena, new species, is described from the Pearl River drainage in Laibin, Guangxi Province, China. The new species is easily distinguished from its congeners in having conspicuous peduncular crests along its dorsal and ventral extremities and a plain beige body coloration with crests brownish gray and a pale spot medially at caudal-fin base. Further characters useful to diagnose the species, but not unique to it, are: 8½ branched dorsal-fin rays; 11-12 pectoral-fin and 9 pelvic-fin rays; modally 38 vertebrae; predorsal length 50-52% SL; caudal-peduncle length 17-18% SL (88-92% HL; 5.6-5.8 times SL); lateral line complete; breast naked; predorsal area scaled; and upper lip not notched.

Hypostomus sertanejo (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), new armoured catfish species from north-eastern Brazil.

A re-evaluation of the armoured catfish species of Hypostomus in the Rio Jaguaribe, north-eastern Brazil, was prompted by the discovery of specimens with pale spots on a dark background collected from that basin c. 1936 and deposited at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Recent field collections in the Rio Jarguaribe basin confirmed the presence of the pale-spotted specimens and its distinctiveness as a new species. Hypostomus sertanejo n. sp. is diagnosed from other species of Hypostomus by having fins and dermal-plated regions of head and body with pale spots or vermiculations on darker background, teeth slender, asymmetrically bicuspid and numerous (34-75) on dentary and premaxilla, depressed dorsal-fin spine not reaching adipose spine, unbranched pectoral-fin spine longer than unbranched pelvic-fin ray, seven branched dorsal-fin rays and one (rarely two) predorsal plate(s) bordering supraoccipital. Ancistrus salgadae Fowler 1941 is hypothesized to be a junior synonym of Hypostomus carvalhoi (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1937), a dark-spotted Hypostomus described from the Rio Granjeiro, a tributary to the upper Rio Salgado.

Una especie nueva de rana del género Chiasmocleis (Microhylidae: Gastrophryninae) de la Cordillera del Cóndor, Ecuador

We describe a new species of frog of the genus Chiasmocleis from the montane forests of southeastern Ecuador, at the western slopes of Cordillera del Cóndor, between 1,224‑1,630 m of elevation. Based on new sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA we present phylogenetic relationships of the new species and its congeners. The phylogeny shows a close relationship to C. antenori, C. carvalhoi, C. magnova and C. tridactyla. The new species is part of a clade of species that were previously assigned to the genus Syncope. This clade has a sister relationship to a clade that contains all remaining species of Chiasmocleis. The new species differs from its congeners by its reddish-brown to dark-brown (sepia) dorsum with minute yellowish-white spots. Chiasmocleis parkeri sp. nov. is similar to Chiasmocleis antenori in lacking digit I of both hands and feet but Chiasmocleis parkeri differs in coloration, arrangement and size of pale spots, and the absence of a pale line in the canthal region. We describe the calls, which are characterized by having non-pulsed notes, and we provide ecological data from the type locality and adjacent areas.

Designation of a neotype and redescription of Hesione reticulata von Marenzeller, 1879 from Japan (Annelida, Hesionidae).

The hesionid polychaete Hesione reticulata von Marenzeller, 1879 was described from Enoshima Island, Japan and has been recorded also from the Red Sea. Depending on researchers, it has been regarded as either a distinct species or synonymous with older established ones. The type specimen has been lost. In order to clarify its taxonomic status, Hesione reticulata is herein redescribed, illustrated, and a neotype is proposed based on recent material collected near the type locality. The diagnostic features include the presence of several dorsal, discontinuous longitudinal bands, interrupted by pale segmental spots; prostomium with tiny antennae; a tuberculated dorsal integument; acicular lobes double; and neurochaetal blades with guards approaching the distal tooth. The dorsal color pattern in life enables a clear distinction from similar species such as Hesione intertexta Grube, 1878 amongst others. Mitochondrial COI barcoding sequences are deposited in the DNA Data Bank of Japan. A key to Hesione species from Japan is also included.

Concurrent Central Retinal Artery and Vein Occlusion in a Pediatric Patient

Abstract Purpose: To describe a rare case of combined central retinal artery (CRAO) and vein occlusion (CRVO) in pediatric patient. Case report: We report a case of mixed right eye CRAO and CRVO in a healthy young girl. A nine- year-old child presented with right eye sudden loss of vision. Upon presentation vision was counting finger at 1 feet. Afferent pupillary defect was positive. Fundus examination revealed pre-retinal and retinal hemorrhages in all 4 quadrants with pale retina and cherry red spot. All blood test results were normal except elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and complement (C3, C4) level. Fluorescence angiogram revealed delayed arm to retina time, venous filling and large area of capillary fallout. Her right eye vision improved to 1/60 with intravenous steroids. Conclusion: Combined CRAO and CRVO is possible in a healthy children. Thorough investigations should be done to sought the cause and hence proper management applied

Farmer awareness, coping mechanisms and economic implications of coffee leaf rust disease in Uganda

Coffee leaf rust (CLR) still remains a serious threat to the economics of coffee farming in Uganda. The disease is more severe on Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) at mid and low altitude (1500 m and below) where crop losses is up to 50%. The objective of this study was to document farmers’ knowledge about the disease, economic implications and coping strategies across the Arabica growing zones in Uganda. A stratified random sampling procedure was adopted. The main data collection tool was a semi-structured questionnaire for face-to-face interview and checklist for focus group discussions (FGDs). SPSS for windows (Version 16) was used for statistical analysis. Overall, 83.8% had knowledge on the disease. The disease reportedly causes premature defoliation and loss of photosynthetic surfaces, leading to appearance of pale yellow spots on the lower surface of the leaves (72.3%) and expanding berries failing to fill up and young berries shedding off (11.5%). The most susceptible variety reported was SL14; while KP423 was reportedly tolerant. Results further revealed that rust incidence led to a significant (p ≤ 0.01) reduction in Arabica coffee productivity and income by 49.5%. As cope up strategies, farmers practiced timely weeding (81.5%), chemical spraying mainly using Bordeaux mixture (20.8%), phyto-sanitary methods (8.1%), concoctions (10.4%), fertiliser application (12.4%) and planting tolerant varieties (9.2%). The use of concoctions and phyto-sanitary methods significantly (P ≤ 0.01) reduced the impact of the disease on annual production per ha by 1139 and 1255 kg, respectively.Keywords: Coffee Leaf Rust, Indigenous knowledge, economic implication, Uganda

First Report of Anthracnose Caused by Colletotrichum spaethianum on Fragrant Plantain Lily in Korea

HomePlant DiseaseVol. 100, No. 7First Report of Anthracnose Caused by Colletotrichum spaethianum on Fragrant Plantain Lily in Korea PreviousNext DISEASE NOTES OPENOpen Access licenseFirst Report of Anthracnose Caused by Colletotrichum spaethianum on Fragrant Plantain Lily in KoreaW. Cheon and Y. JeonW. CheonSearch for more papers by this author and Y. JeonSearch for more papers by this authorAffiliationsAuthors and Affiliations W. Cheon Y. Jeon , Department of Bioresource Sciences, Andong National University, Andong 760-749, Korea. Published Online:28 Mar 2016https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-11-15-1341-PDNAboutSectionsSupplemental ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailWechat In autumn 2012, fragrant plantain lily (Hosta plantaginea Aschers) plants in Andong Region, Korea, were found to be showing leaf blight symptoms. Voucher specimens were deposited in the Herbarium of Mycology, Agricultural Science and Technology Research Institute, Andong National University, as Accession No. ANU-APEC0025F. Disease symptoms included brown necrotic lesions 30 to 100 mm in diameter. At the initial stage of the infection, lesions on the outer edge of the leaves were round to elliptical, and 5 to 15 mm in diameter. Gradually, the lesions became irregular, dark brown, and frequently surrounded by a pale yellow halo that later became necrotic and spread toward the petioles. Small sections (5 to 10 mm2) of diseased areas were excised from the margins of the lesions and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) after surface sterilization with 70% ethanol and 1% NaOCl for 1 min, and incubated for 3 days at 25°C. The fungus isolated using this procedure produced whitish mycelia when grown on PDA, and these mycelia later became gray to dark gray and produced tufts of aerial mycelia. Analysis of light micrographs showed that the fungus had falcate, hyaline, aseptate conidia 13.78 to 22.81 μm × 2.85 to 4.04 μm. These conidia were observed from both naturally infected leaves and PDA-cultured colonies. Appressoria were found either singly or in loose groups of dark brown, irregular shapes, and 6.3 to 11.1 × 5.3 to 7.7 μm. The acervular conidiomata were covered with abundant setae that were straight and dark brown, and 75.23 to 131.3 × 2.53 to 4.52 μm. The fungus was identified as Colletotrichum spaethianum on the basis of its morphology (Damm et al. 2009) and by sequence analysis of conserved ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) sequences. Specifically, the rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was amplified using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to form rDNA for in vitro sequencing using the primers ITS1 (forward) and ITS4 (reverse) with the GenBank Accession No. KU572437, and the GAPDH region was amplified using the GDF (forward) and GDR (reverse) primer set, as described previously (Templeton et al. 1992). Nucleotide BLAST analysis of the two PCR products showed 100% sequence similarity with the nucleotide sequences of C. spaethianum (GQ856747 and GU228200). In our study, the sequences of C. spaethianum were deposited as GenBank Accession Nos. KT321124 and KT321125. To confirm pathogenicity, H. plantaginea plants grown in greenhouse were inoculated by foliar spray with 2-week-old cultures grown on PDA. Control plants were sprayed with sterile water. Plants were covered with plastic bags for 72 h to maintain high relative humidity (∼80 to 90%) in a growth chamber (26°C). Seven days after inoculation, the small, circular, pale brown spots developed on pathogen-inoculated leaves, and gradually expanded, developing a yellow halo. Based on the observed symptoms, morphological characteristics, molecular data, and pathogenicity against the host plant, it can be concluded that C. spaethianum is the causal agent of anthracnose of H. plantaginea in Korea. Colletotrichum spaethianum was isolated from H. sieboldiana in Germany (White et al. 1990) a different species of the same genus. To our knowledge, this is the first documented report of C. spaethianum causing anthracnose on fragrant plantain lily in Korea.

Systematics of small Gehyra (Squamata: Gekkonidae) of the southern Kimberley, Western Australia: redescription of G. kimberleyi Börner & Schüttler, 1983 and description of a new restricted range species.

Ongoing fieldwork and molecular research continues to reveal that the monsoonal tropics of northern Australia contain more vertebrate species than currently recognised. Here we focus on two morphologically distinctive, yet unrecognised forms in the genus Gehyra from the southern Kimberley region and surrounding deserts. We base our descriptions on a combination of unpublished genetic data and a morphological examination of voucher specimens. We recognise and redescribe G. kimberleyi, a species with a broad distribution extending over most of the south-west Kimberley, across the Great Sandy Desert and into the far northern Pilbara. This species has been previously assigned to G. pilbara owing to its frequent occurrence on termite mounds and short snout, but can be distinguished from G. pilbara and other regionally sympatric Gehyra by its moderate body size, moderate number of pre-cloacal pores in males (12-17) and aspects of dorsal colouration. We also describe G. girloorloo sp. nov., a small rock-dwelling species with a short snout, low number of pre-cloacal pores in males (8-11) and pinkish-grey dorsal colouration with alternating series of indistinct pale spots and irregular transversely-aligned dark blotches. The new species appears to be restricted to a relatively small region of exposed limestone karst in the south-west Kimberley and is entirely circumscribed by morphologically similar congeners.

A NewTropidurus(Tropiduridae) from the Semiarid Brazilian Caatinga: Evidence for Conflicting Signal between Mitochondrial and Nuclear Loci Affecting the Phylogenetic Reconstruction of South American Collared Lizards

ABSTRACT Tropidurus Wied, 1825, is one of the most ubiquitous lizard genera distributed in open habitats of tropical and subtropical South America. Nevertheless, the broad representation of specimens of this group in scientific collections is hardly reflected in our knowledge of its taxonomic diversity. Most species currently assigned to Tropidurus began to be uncovered in the early 1980's and additional populations in need of formal taxonomic treatment have been cataloged ever since. Herein, we name Tropidurus sertanejo, n. sp., a new species of the T. torquatus group endemic to the semiarid Brazilian Caatinga. Tropidurus sertanejo, n. sp., is currently known from two isolated populations in the municipalities of Caetite and Ibotirama, State of Bahia, Brazil. This is the only species of the T. torquatus group lacking granular mite pockets on the lateral neck, and it is also diagnosable by having a conspicuous bronze-colored head, a light-brown dorsal body with small pale salmon spots, and small body size...

Two new species of Chnoodes Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from Brazil.

Two new species of Chnoodes from Brazil are described: C. machadoi sp. nov. (Holotype male deposited in DZUP: Mato Grosso State, Cáceres muncipality, 13.XI.1984, Buzzi, Mielke, Elias & Casagrande leg.) and C. unimaculata sp. nov. (Holotype female deposited in DZUP: Amapá State, Oiapoque municipality, V.1959, M. Alvarenga leg.). They can be distinguished from all previously described species mainly by the yellowish border of the elytra in C. machadoi sp. nov., and the large mid-dorsal pale spots in C. unimaculata sp. nov. Six species are redescribed: Chnoodes brasiliensis Korschefsky, C. chaudoiri Mulsant, C. discomaculata (Crotch), C. pentagona Crotch, C. pseudosanguinea Brèthes, and C. tarsalis Weise. A key to Brazilian species of Chnoodes and new records are also given.

Systematic revision of Calligrapha Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) with pale spots on dark elytra and description of two new species.

In this work, a group of seven species of Calligrapha (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) with pale spots contrasting with dark background of elytra is revised and their distributions specified based on the material studied from sixteen museums. Among these species, two are new and formally described: C. pavimentata sp. nov. and C. zapoteca sp. nov. A pragmatic identification key is provided to identify these taxa and it is proposed that these species belong to four different evolutionary lineages.