Microfungi associated with dying in South Africa and their relative pathogenicity.

is a succulent shrub that is indigenous to South Africa and widely distributed throughout the country. Dying plants have been observed in their natural habitat in the Northern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa in recent years. Stems displaying lesions were collected and the emerging cultures were identified based on ITS, LSU, , , and/or sequence data.

Soil-borne (Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) associated with plantations in Colombia.

spp. are widely planted in Colombia as an important component of a growing paper and pulp industry. Leaf and shoot blight caused by spp.

Genera of phytopathogenic fungi: GOPHY 4.

This paper is the fourth contribution in the Genera of Phytopathogenic Fungi (GOPHY) series. The series provides morphological descriptions and information about the pathology, distribution, hosts and disease symptoms, as well as DNA barcodes for the taxa covered. Moreover, 12 whole-genome sequences for the type or new species in the treated genera are provided.

Generic boundaries in the reconsidered and revised.

The was erected in 1980. Since that time, several of the genera have been redefined and others have been described. There are currently 14 accepted genera in the Order.

Fungal Planet description sheets: 1383-1435.

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: , , and on soil, from stem cankers of , from stem of , and from leaves of , as endophyte from roots of , from stem of , from leaves of × and from roots of , from intertidal wood and (incl. gen. nov.

and Its Newly Discovered Sexual State Causing a Serious Needle Disease of spp. in Colombia.

Brown spot needle blight (BSNB), caused by the fungal pathogen , is a well-known disease of spp. in several northern hemisphere countries. In the southern hemisphere, this disease has been reported only in Colombia and, apart from a single report of severe defoliation of plantations in the early 1980s, has not caused serious damage in this country.

Ophiostomatoid fungi including a new species associated with Asian larch bark beetle , in Heilongjiang (Northeast China).

(, ) is an important bark beetle species that infests spp. in Asia. Individuals of this beetle are vectors of ophiostomatoid fungi, on their exoskeletons, that are transmitted to infested trees.

Fungal associates of an invasive pine-infesting bark beetle, , including seven new Ophiostomatalean fungi.

The red turpentine beetle (RTB; ) is a bark beetle that is native to Central and North America. This insect is well-known to live in association with a large number of Ophiostomatalean fungi. The beetle is considered a minor pest in its native range, but has killed millions of indigenous pine trees in China after its appearance in that country in the late 1990s.

Cryphonectriaceae associated with rust-infected in Hawaii.

(Myrtales, Myrtaceae) trees in Hawaii are severely affected by a rust disease caused by (Pucciniales, Sphaerophragmiaceae), but they are commonly co-infected with species of Cryphonectriaceae (Diaporthales). In this study, and other trees in the Myrtales were examined on three Hawaiian Islands for the presence of Cryphonectriaceae. Bark samples with fruiting bodies were collected from infected trees and fungi were isolated directly from these structures.

sp. nov. from in Korea.

During a survey of putative fungal pathogens infecting oak trees in the Gangwon Province of the Republic of Korea, a fungus resembling a sp. was repeatedly isolated from natural wounds on . Morphological comparisons and DNA sequence comparisons based on partial β-tubulin and TEF-1α gene regions showed that the fungus resided in a distinct lineage.

A new species of from beetle-infested .

Species of (: ) are obligate symbionts of ambrosia beetles, some of which pose a substantial threat to forest trees. is a small mimosoid tree species that is considered as an invasive weed in most of its introduced range globally. During a field expedition on the French island of Réunion, dying trees were observed.

Epitypification of .

accommodates many important pathogens of agricultural crops and woody plants. , the type species of the genus is based on a type that is unsuitable for a precise application and interpretation of the species. This is because no culture or DNA data exist for the type specimen.

Novel species of from naturally-occurring forest trees in Greece and South Africa.

species are wood-infecting, filamentous ascomycetes that occur in fresh wounds on a wide variety of tree species. These fungi are mainly known as saprobes although some have been associated with disease symptoms. Six fungal isolates with typical culture characteristics of spp.

Seven new species of from conifers in Norway, Poland, and Russia.

During surveys of insect-associated mycobiomes in Norway, Poland, and Russia, isolates with affinity to (Ophiostomatales, Ascomycota) were recovered. In this study, eight known species as well as the newly collected isolates were compared based on morphology and DNA sequence data for four gene regions. The results revealed seven new species, described here as , and .

Euwallacea perbrevis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), a confirmed pest on Acacia crassicarpa in Riau, Indonesia, and a new fungal symbiont; Fusarium rekanum sp. nov.

Non-native Acacia plantations in Indonesia were first reported to be infested by a native ambrosia beetle species, identified as Euwallacea fornicatus in 1993. Recently the level of infestation in these plantations by ambrosia beetles has steadily increased. The recent redefinition of the taxonomic parameters of the Euwallacea fornicatus species complex has resulted in the identity of the ambrosia beetle species in these plantations becoming unclear.

Botryosphaeriaceae associated with Acacia heterophylla (La Réunion) and Acacia koa (Hawaii).

Acacia koa and A. heterophylla are commonly occurring native trees on the Hawaiian Islands and La Réunion, respectively. A recent phylogenetic study suggested that A.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Ceratocystis albifundus.

Functional association between genomic loci and specific biological traits remains lacking in many fungi, including the African tree pathogen Ceratocystis albifundus. This is mainly because of the absence of suitable transformation systems for allowing genetic manipulation of this and other fungi. Here, we present an optimized protocol for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of C.

A new species pathogenic on in its native habitat.

() is a fleshy creeper, native to South Africa and commonly found growing on coastal seashores. Recently this plant has been observed dying in large patches in areas close to Cape Town. Symptoms include a wilting of the leaves associated with death of the woody stems.

Ophiostoma quercus: An unusually diverse and globally widespread tree-infecting fungus.

Ophiostoma quercus (Ascomycota, Ophiostomatales) is a globally widespread, insect-vectored fungus that colonizes a wide diversity of hardwood and conifer hosts. Although the fungus is considered to be non-pathogenic, it is closely related to the fungi that cause Dutch elm disease. We examined the global diversity of O.

Genera of phytopathogenic fungi: GOPHY 2.

This paper represents the second contribution in the Genera of Phytopathogenic Fungi (GOPHY) series. The series provides morphological descriptions and information regarding the pathology, distribution, hosts and disease symptoms for the treated genera. In addition, primary and secondary DNA barcodes for the currently accepted species are included.

Fungal Systematics and Evolution: FUSE 3.

The present study introduces seven new species, one new combination, one new variety and several interesting taxonomical notes and/or geographical records. Most of the new taxa are Ascomycetes, but the study also includes a new variety of a Basidiomycete. Novel species include (Discinaceae, Pezizales, Pezizomycetes) from Pakistan growing near and and (Stachybotriaceae, Hypocreales, Sordariomycetes) both isolated from soil in China.

Genera of phytopathogenic fungi: GOPHY 1.

Genera of Phytopathogenic Fungi (GOPHY) is introduced as a new series of publications in order to provide a stable platform for the taxonomy of phytopathogenic fungi. This first paper focuses on 21 genera of phytopathogenic fungi: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . For each genus, a morphological description and information about its pathology, distribution, hosts and disease symptoms are provided.

Fungal Planet description sheets: 469-557.

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: : on sp., on , (incl. gen.

Hawksworthiomyces gen. nov. (Ophiostomatales), illustrates the urgency for a decision on how to name novel taxa known only from environmental nucleic acid sequences (ENAS).

There have been many recent studies using environmental nucleic acid sequences (ENAS) to assess fungal diversity. As a result, more than a third of all fungal sequences in GenBank are of environmental origin. But inconsistent annotation of the thousands of undescribed taxa represented by these sequences limits access to these data.