Unravelling unexplored diversity of cercosporoid fungi (Mycosphaerellaceae, Mycosphaerellales, Ascomycota) in tropical Africa.

Cercosporoid fungi (Mycosphaerellaceae, Mycosphaerellales, Ascomycota) are one of the largest and most diverse groups of hyphomycetes causing a wide range of diseases of economically important plants as well as of plants in the wild. Although more than 6000 species are known for this group, the documentation of this fungal group is far from complete. Especially in the tropics, the diversity of cercosporoid fungi is poorly known.

New neotropical species of Phyllachorales based on molecular, morphological, and ecological data.

Species of tropical tar spot fungi (Phyllachorales, Ascomycota) are obligate biotrophic plant parasitic fungi associated with living leaves of a wide range of families of host plants, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. In this study, samples of tropical tar spot fungi were collected in forests in Costa Rica and Panamá. To identify taxa, we used morphology and information on host plants and combined multigene phylogeny of four genes: the large subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA (28S rDNA), the small subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA), the complete internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA (nuc rDNA ITS1-5.