Multi-gene phylogenies and phenotypic characters distinguish two species within the Colletogloeopsis zuluensis complex associated with Eucalyptus stem cankers
Colletogloeopsis zuluensis, previously known as Coniothyrium zuluense, causes a serious stem canker disease on Eucalyptus spp. grown as non-natives in many tropical and sub-tropical countries. This stem canker disease was first reported from South Africa and it
has subsequently been found on various species and hybrids of Eucalyptus in other African countries as well as in countries of South America and South-East Asia. In previous studies, phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequence data of the ITS region suggested that all material of C.
zuluensis was monophyletic. However, the occurrence of the fungus in a greater number of countries, and analyses of DNA sequences with additional isolates has challenged the notion that a single species is involved with Coniothyrium canker. The aim of this study was to consider the phylogenetic
relationships amongst C. zuluensis isolates from all available locations and to support these analyses with phenotypic and morphological comparisons. Individual and combined phylogenies were constructed using DNA sequences from the ITS region, exons 3 through 6 of the β-tubulin
gene, the intron of the translation elongation factor 1-α gene, and a partial sequence of the mitochondrial ATPase 6 gene. Both phylogenetic data and morphological characteristics showed clearly that isolates of C. zuluensis represent at least two taxa. One of these is C. zuluensis
as it was originally described from South Africa, and we provide an epitype for it. The second species occurs in Argentina and Uruguay, and is newly described as C. gauchensis. Both fungi are serious pathogens resulting in identical symptoms. Recognising them as different species has
important quarantine consequences. Taxonomic novelty:
Colletogloeopsis gauchensis M.-N. Cortinas, Crous & M.J. Wingf. sp. nov.
Keywords: Bayesian inference; Colletogloeopsis; Eucalyptus canker; Mycosphaerella; multilocus gene phylogeny
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 May 2006
- Studies in Mycology is an international journal which publishes systematic monographs of filamentous fungi and yeasts, and special topical issues related to all fields of mycology, biotechnology, ecology, molecular biology, pathology and systematics. The journal is Open-Access and contains monographs or topical issues (5–6 papers per issue). There are no restrictions of length, although it is generally expected that manuscripts should be at least 50 A4 pages in print.
- Editorial Board
- Information for Authors
- Submit a Paper
- Code of ethics
- GDPR Compliance
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content