Phylogenetic Reassessment, Taxonomy, and Biogeography of Codinaea and Similar Fungi

The genus Codinaea is a phialidic, dematiaceous hyphomycete known for its intriguing morphology and turbulent taxonomic history. This polyphasic study represents a new, comprehensive view on the taxonomy, systematics, and biogeography of Codinaea and its relatives. Phylogenetic analyses of three nuclear loci confirmed that Codinaea is polyphyletic. The generic concept was emended; it includes four morphotypes that contribute to its morphological complexity. Ancestral inference showed that the evolution of some traits is correlated and that these traits previously used to delimit taxa at the generic level occur in species that were shown to be congeneric. Five lineages of Codinaea-like fungi were recognized and introduced as new genera: Codinaeella, Nimesporella, Stilbochaeta, Tainosphaeriella, and Xyladelphia. Dual DNA barcoding facilitated identification at the species level. Codinaea and its segregates thrive on decaying plants, rarely occurring as endophytes or plant pathogens. Environmental ITS sequences indicate that they are common in bulk soil. The geographic distribution found using GlobalFungi database was consistent with known data. Most species are distributed in either the Holarctic realm or tropical geographic regions. The ancestral climatic zone was temperate, followed by transitions to the tropics; these fungi evolved primarily in Eurasia and Americas, with subsequent transitions to Africa and Australasia.

Donadinia echinacea and Plectania sichuanensis, two novel species of Sarcosomataceae from southwestern China

This paper describes five sarcosomataceous samples collected from southwestern China and provides an updated two locus phylogeny of Sarcosomataceae. Two new species, Donadinia echinacea and Plectania sichuanensis, are described based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses. Donadinia echinacea is a dematiaceous hyphomycete with pleurogenous, guttulate conidia. Plectania sichuanensis is a cup-fungus distinguished by its ochre hymenium and ellipsoid ascospores with small multiple oil droplets. Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS and LSU sequence data using broad taxon sampling supports establishment of the new species along with eight distinct clades within Sarcosomataceae.

Pseudocercospora angolensis (leaf spot of Citrus spp.).

P. angolensis is a dematiaceous hyphomycete occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen. This fungus requires moisture for infection and the production of wind-borne conidia and causes a devastating fruit and leaf spot disease of cultivated species of Citrus. Losses of 50-100% of yield can occur and growers may cease production where the disease is endemic. Although species and cultivars of Citrus vary in susceptibility, no source of resistance is known (Kuate, 1998). An A1 quarantine pest for Europe and the Mediterranean region (EPPO, 2009), this fungus is also of concern for other warm humid regions where citrus is grown, such as Florida, USA. Other than by wind, conidia can be transported on infected fruit or propagated material.

Phylogeny, Global Biogeography and Pleomorphism of Zanclospora

Zanclospora (Chaetosphaeriaceae) is a neglected, phialidic dematiaceous hyphomycete with striking phenotypic heterogeneity among its species. Little is known about its global biogeography due to its extreme scarcity and lack of records verified by molecular data. Phylogenetic analyses of six nuclear loci, supported by phenotypic data, revealed Zanclospora as highly polyphyletic, with species distributed among three distantly related lineages in Sordariomycetes. Zanclospora is a pleomorphic genus with multiple anamorphic stages, of which phaeostalagmus-like and stanjehughesia-like are newly discovered. The associated teleomorphs were previously classified in Chaetosphaeria. The generic concept is emended, and 17 species are accepted, 12 of which have been verified with DNA sequence data. Zanclospora thrives on decaying plant matter, but it also occurs in soil or as root endophytes. Its global diversity is inferred from metabarcoding data and published records based on field observations. Phylogenies of the environmental ITS1 and ITS2 sequences derived from soil, dead wood and root samples revealed seven and 15 phylotypes. The field records verified by DNA data indicate two main diversity centres in Australasia and Caribbean/Central America. In addition, environmental ITS data have shown that Southeast Asia represents a third hotspot of Zanclospora diversity. Our data confirm that Zanclospora is a rare genus.

Laboratory diagnostics, phylogenetic analysis and clinical outcome of a subcutaneous Mycoleptodiscus indicus infection in an immunocompetent cat

Background Mycoleptodiscus indicus is a dematiaceous hyphomycete fungus found on plant leaves. It has been rarely reported as a cause of human or animal disease, possibly because it is difficult to culture and identify from clinical specimens. Infections are presumably acquired by traumatic implantation. Case presentation An 8-year-old non-immunosuppressed cat from Georgia, USA, presented with a left front leg swelling without lameness. Cytology from a fine needle aspirate revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation with both cytoplasmic and extracellular fungal elements. There were septate hyphae with irregularly sized segments, non-staining uneven walls, and rounded yeast-like forms from which longer hyphae arose in a hub-and-spoke pattern. A mold was isolated on agar from a fine needle aspirate collected 1 week later and identified as M. indicus by morphology, DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The cat recovered completely and uneventfully with antifungal treatment. Conclusions We report a previously undescribed presentation of M. indicus causing a subcutaneous infection in a cat with successful antifungal treatment. In this study we highlight the potential of M. indicus to infect immunocompetent animals, and the veterinary medical community should be aware of its unusual but characteristic clinical, microbiological and cytologic presentation.

Morphology and phylogeny reveal Stemphylium dianthi sp. nov. and new host records for the sexual morphs ofS. beticola, S. gracilariae, S. simmonsii and S. vesicariumfrom Italy and Russia

In an investigation of related pleosporalean taxa collected from Italy and Russia, a novel species, Stemphylium dianthi and new host and geographical records ofS. beticola, S. gracilariae, S. simmonsii and S. vesicarium are reported. Stemphylium is a genus of filamentous ascomycetes comprising plant pathogens and saprobes in the family Pleosporaceae. Our new species, S. dianthi is a dematiaceous hyphomycete, which can be distinguished from other hyphomycetes as it forms phaeodictyospores based on the percurrent rejuvenation of its conidiophores, and apically swollen conidiogenous cells. The sexual morphs ofS. gracilariaeand S. vesicarium are new host records from Italy and Russia respectively. Stemphylium beticola from dead stem of Dianthus capitatus and S. simmonsii from Acer campestre are herein described from a natural host substrate for the first time. An updated phylogenetic tree for Stemphylium is constructed using multi-genes (ITS, gapdh and cmdA) to confirm the phylogenetic relationships of Stemphylium species presented in this study. This paper provides morphological descriptions, illustrations and molecular data for each taxon.

First case report on pathogenic fungus Fonsecaea sp. Negroni from skin of Pelophylax kl. esculentus L. in Serbia

Non-harmful adhesive tape method was applied directly on the skin surface of edible frog (Pelophylax kl. esculentus), captured in vernal ponds on the locality ?Stevanove ravnice? within the Special Nature Reserve ?Deliblatska pescara?, in order to detect fungal dwellers of frogs? skin. Light microscopy analyses of Lactophenol Cotton Blue mounted adhesive tape samples taken from frog?s ventrum revealed the presence of melanized septate hyphae, branched conidiophores with chains of single-celled ovoid conidia, arising directly from the skin, which corresponds to morphological features of dematiaceous hyphomycete - Fonsecaea sp. Since members of genus Fonsecaea are frequently cited as causative agents of chromomycosis in amphibians, as well as human phaeohyphomycosis, world?wide, it is of great significance to study the presence of this fungal pathogen on amphibians in Serbia in order to make the basic reference data of the incidence of these pathogens in this region.

First Report of Leaf Blight on Calathea picturata Caused by Exserohilum rostratum in Taiwan

Many Calathea species in the family Marantaceae are beautiful ornamental plants with variegated foliage. Among them, C. picturata ‘Argentea’, an evergreen perennial that has pale green leaves with dark green margins and a red underside, is a popular houseplant in Taiwan. In 2004, a new foliage disease that caused leaf blight of C. picturata ‘Argentea’ was first observed in a nursery in southern Taiwan. Initial symptoms were tiny, brown spots that appeared on the leaves of all ages, which quickly enlarged and coalesced. These necrotic lesions spread to cover the entire leaves in high temperature and moisture conditions and caused leaves to shrivel and eventually die. A dematiaceous hyphomycete with multicelled conidia was consistently isolated from the diseased leaves after being surfaced sterilized with 10% Clorox and placed on vegetable juice agar (10% V8 juice, 0.02% CaCO3, and 2% agar [VJA]). Pathogenicity of the isolate was tested by spraying ‘Argentea’ calathea leaves with a conidia suspension (1.6 × 105 conidia/ml) prepared from a culture grown on VJA at 28°C for 7 days. Plant leaves sprayed with distilled water were used as a control. Three pots of 15-cm high ‘Argentea’ calathea plants were inoculated with 10 ml of a conidia suspension and the experiment was conducted twice at 28°C and 90% relative humidity in a growth chamber. Tiny, brown spots started to show on all inoculated leaves 5 days after inoculation and the progression of symptom development was similar to that observed in nature. Control leaves remained asymptomatic. The same dematiaceous hyphomycete fungus was reisolated from 13 of 16 disease tissues taken from four symptomatic leaves. A colony of the calathea isolate was olive green when grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and conidia production was observed 7 days after incubation in darkness. The conidiophores were either branches from or the ends of normal mycelium, some of them geniculate with conidium produced at each bend measuring 142 to 602 (340) × 3 to 6 (4) μm on disease tissues and 51 to 150 (103) × 3 to 5 (4) μm on PDA. Conidia were multicelled with protruding hilum at the base, terminal cells thickened, olivaceous brown or golden brown in fusiform shape with blunt tips, 5 to 11 septate on disease tissues and 6 to 11 septate on PDA, measuring 46 to 166 (95) × 8 to 19 (13) μm on disease tissues and 58 to 145 (94) × 6 to 15 (11) μm on PDA, germinating by producing germ tubes semiaxially from each end. Morphological characteristics of the calathea isolate fit the description of the genus Exserohilum (2). Comparison of rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence of the calathea isolate with those in GenBank revealed that it shared 99.5% (549 of 552) similarity with a published sequence (GenBank Accession No. EU571210) (3) and Exserohilum rostratum was its closest species. ITS sequence analysis was done as previously described (1). Morphological and molecular data identified the pathogen as E. rostratum (Drechs.) Leonard & Suggs (= Bipolaris rostrata (Drechs.) Shoemaker). To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf blight caused by E. rostratum on C. picturata in Taiwan. References: (1) L. L. Chern et al. Plant Dis. 94:1164, 2010. (2) K. J. Leonard. Mycologia 68:402, 1976. (3) R. Sappapan et al. J. Nat. Prod. 71:1657, 2008.

Ascovirgaria occulta gen. et sp.nov., Jumillera hawaiiensis sp.nov., and Lopadostoma hawaiianum sp.nov. from Hawaii

Ascovirgaria occulta gen. et sp.nov., a xylariaceous pyrenomycete with perithecia embedded in decayed wood beneath a blackened surface, is described. Its anamorph is Virgaria nigra (Link) Nees, a cosmopolitan dematiaceous hyphomycete long suspected to have xylariaceous affinities. Jumillera hawaiiensis sp.nov. and its Libertella state, and Lopadostoma hawaiianum sp.nov. and its dry scolecosporous anamorph, are described.Key words: Ascomycetes, Pyrenomycetes, Xylariaceae.