Botryosphaeria species from Eucalyptus in Australia are pleoanamorphic, producing dichomera synanamorphs in culture.
Species within the genus Botryosphaeria include some of the most widespread and important pathogens of woody plants, and have been the focus of numerous taxonomic studies in recent years. It is currently accepted that anamorphs of Botryosphaeria belong to two distinct genera, Fusicoccum and Diplodia. Species within the genus Fusicoccum commonly produce aseptate, hyaline conidia. In the present study, fungi were isolated from foliage and wood of Eucalyptus in native forests and plantations in Australia. Although these fungi produced Dichomera anamorphs in culture, they clustered within the Fusicoccum clade of Botryosphaeria based on their ITS sequence data. Four species, Botryosphaeria dothidea, B. parva, B. ribis and B. australis produced Dichomera conidia in culture. The Dichomera synanamorphs are described for these four species of Botryosphaeria. In addition, falling within the Fusicoccum clade of Botryosphaeria, two species were found to be distinct from previously described Botryosphaeria spp. based on their ITS sequences, but synonymous with D. versiformis and D. eucalypti. These observations are currently unique to isolates from host trees within the genus Eucalyptus in Australia, and the pleoanamorphic nature of these species is discussed.
Barber
Paul A
PA
Department of Botany, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia 3086. pbarber@murdoch.edu.au
Burgess
Treena J
TJ
Hardy
Giles E St J
GE
Slippers
Bernard
B
Keane
Philip J
PJ
Wingfield
Michael J
MJ
D001203:Ascomycota / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics; D001315:Australia; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry; D004463:Ecology; D005052:Eucalyptus / Q000382:microbiology*; D048690:Fruiting Bodies, Fungal / Q000166:cytology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D004271:DNA, Fungal