Species of Elsinoë are phytopathogens causing scab and spot anthracnose on many plants, including some economically important crops such as avocado, citrus, grapevines, and ornamentals such as poinsettias, field crops and woody hosts. Disease symptoms are often easily recognisable, and referred to as signature-bearing diseases, for the cork-like appearance of older infected tissues with scab-like appearance. In some Elsinoë-host associations the resulting symptoms are better described as spot anthracnose. Additionally the infected plants may also show mild to severe distortions of infected organs. Isolation of Elsinoë in pure culture can be very challenging and examination of specimens collected in the field is often frustrating because of the lack of fertile structures. Current criteria for species recognition and host specificity in Elsinoë are unclear due to overlapping morphological characteristics, and the lack of molecular and pathogenicity data. In the present study we revised the taxonomy of Elsinoë based on DNA sequence and morphological data derived from 119 isolates, representing 67 host genera from 17 countries, including 64 ex-type cultures. Combined analyses of ITS, LSU, rpb2 and TEF1-α DNA sequence data were used to reconstruct the backbone phylogeny of the genus Elsinoë. Based on the single nomenclature for fungi, 26 new combinations are proposed in Elsinoë for species that were originally described in Sphaceloma. A total of 13 species are epitypified with notes on their taxonomy and phylogeny. A further eight new species are introduced, leading to a total of 75 Elsinoë species supported by molecular data in the present study. For the most part species of Elsinoë appear to be host specific, although the majority of the species treated are known only from a few isolates, and further collections and pathogenicity studies will be required to reconfirm this conclusion.

Elsinoë的物种是植物病原体，在许多植物上引起结sc和炭疽病，包括鳄梨，柑橘，葡萄树等经济上重要的作物，以及一品红，大田作物和木本寄主等观赏植物。疾病症状通常很容易识别，并且被称为带有特征的疾病，是指较老的受感染组织的软木样外观和结sc样外观。在某些Elsinoë-host关联中，所产生的症状被更好地描述为炭疽病。另外，被感染的植物还可能显示出受感染器官的轻度到严重变形。隔离Elsinoë在纯培养中进行挑战非常艰巨，由于缺乏肥沃的结构，对实地采集的标本进行检查通常令人沮丧。由于重叠的形态特征以及缺乏分子和致病性数据，目前尚不清楚Elsinoë物种识别和寄主特异性的当前标准。在本研究中，我们基于119个分离株的DNA序列和形态学数据，对Elsinoë的分类学进行了修订，这些分离株代表来自17个国家的67个宿主属，包括64种ex型培养物。结合ITS，LSU，rpb2和TEF1- αDNA序列数据进行分析，以重建Elsinoë属的骨架系统发育。基于真菌的单一命名，26个新组合中提出Elsinoë为最初在描述物种Sphaceloma。总共有13个物种被表型化，并记录了它们的分类学和系统发育史。引入了另外八种新物种，在本研究中，共有75种Elsinoë物种得到了分子数据的支持。尽管大多数处理过的物种仅从少数分离物中获悉，但大多数情况下，Elsinoë的物种似乎是宿主特异性的，需要进一步的收集和致病性研究以证实这一结论。