title: Multigene phylogenies and morphological characterization of five new Ophiostoma spp. associated with spruce-infesting bark beetles in China.
abstract: Ophiostoma spp. (Ophiostomatales, Ascomycota) are well-known fungi associated with bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae). Some of these are serious tree pathogens, while the majority is blue-stain agents of timber. In recent years, various bark beetle species have been attacking spruce forests in Qinghai province, China, causing significant damage. A preliminary survey was done to explore the diversity of the ophiostomatoid fungal associates of these beetles. The aims of the present study were to identify and characterize new Ophiostoma spp. associated with spruce-infesting bark beetles in Qinghai Province, and to resolve phylogenetic relationships of Ophiostoma spp. related to the Chinese isolates, using multigene phylogenetic analyses. Results obtained from four gene regions (ribosomal internal transcribed spacer regions, β-tubulin, calmodulin, translation elongation factor-1α) revealed five new Ophiostoma spp. from Qinghai. These included O. nitidus sp. nov., O. micans sp. nov., and O. qinghaiense sp. nov. in a newly defined O. piceae complex. The other two new species, O. poligraphi sp. nov. and O. shangrilae sp. nov., grouped in the O. brunneo-ciliatum complex. Based on DNA sequence and morphological comparisons, we also show that O. arduennense and O. torulosum are synonyms of O. distortum, while O. setosum is a synonym of O. cupulatum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, Gauteng Province, South Africa; China Eucalypt Research Centre (CERC), Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), Zhanjiang 524022, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Mingliang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, Gauteng Province, South Africa.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wingfield
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, Gauteng Province, South Africa; China Eucalypt Research Centre (CERC), Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), Zhanjiang 524022, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xudong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Electronic address: wilhelm.debeer@fabi.up.ac.za.
authors.forename: Z Wilhelm
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: de Beer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000235:genetics; D002681:China; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D055156:Ophiostoma / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020648:Peptide Elongation Factor 1 / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D028222:Picea / Q000469:parasitology; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics; D048889:Weevils / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D002147:Calmodulin; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D020648:Peptide Elongation Factor 1; D014404:Tubulin
keywords: Ophiostoma brunneo-ciliatum complex; Ophiostoma piceae complex; Phylogeny; Taxonomy