title: Species delineation in the tree pathogen genus Celoporthe (Cryphonectriaceae) in southern Africa.
abstract: The genus Celoporthe was first described when C. dispersa was discovered in South Africa associated with dieback and cankers on trees in the Myrtales. Four additional species were recently described from Eucalyptus and Syzygium cumini in China as well as S. aromaticum and Eucalyptus in Indonesia. Inoculation trials have shown that all Celoporthe species, including those that have not been found on Eucalyptus species in nature, are pathogenic to Eucalyptus and they are thus potentially threatening to commercial Eucalyptus forestry. New isolates, morphologically similar to Celoporthe, have been collected from S. legatti in South Africa and S. guineense in Zambia. Multigene phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences of the ITS region, TEF1α gene and two areas of the β-tubulin gene revealed additional cryptic species in Celoporthe. Phylogenetic data were supported by morphological differences. These resulted in the description of two previously unknown species of Celoporthe, namely C. fontana and C. woodiana, for two of these cryptic groups, while the third group represented C. dispersa. These species all can readily infect Eucalyptus as well as several species of Syzygium, the latter of which are native to Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa.
authors.forename: Marcele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
authors.forename: Marieka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gryzenhout
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wingfield
authors.forename: Jolanda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roux
mesh_terms: D000353:Africa, Southern; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001483:Base Sequence; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005052:Eucalyptus / Q000382:microbiology*; D048690:Fruiting Bodies, Fungal / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D036226:Seedlings / Q000382:microbiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000648:ultrastructure; D027842:Syzygium / Q000382:microbiology*; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D014404:Tubulin