Characterisation of synnematous bark beetle-associated fungi from China, including Graphium carbonarium sp. nov.

Abstract

Ophiostomatoid fungi on trees are typically bark beetle associates that cause sapstain in timber and some are pathogens. Very little is known regarding the ophiostomatoid fungi associated with bark beetles in China and the aim of this study was to identify a collection of these fungi with synnematous anamorphs. Micromorphology and DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA and the partial β-tubulin gene were used for identifications. The isolates could be divided in six morphological groups. DNA sequence comparisons with published data confirmed that these groups represented six species, four in the Ophiostomatales (Sordariomycetidae) and two in the Microascales (Hypocreomycetidae). The majority of these were isolated from conifer hosts. Ophiostoma quercus, O. setosum, Pesotum fragrans (Ophiostomatales) and Graphium pseudormiticum (Microascales) were found on Tsuga dumosa infested by a Pissodes sp. In addition, O. quercus and P. fragrans were found associated with Tomicus yunnanensis on Pinus yunnanensis, P. fragrans with a Pissodes sp. on P. armandi, and O. piceae with Ips subelongatus on Larix olgensis. Only two species, O. quercus and a new species in the Graphium penicilliodes complex, described here as Graphium carbonarium sp. nov., were isolated from Pissodes galleries on Salix babylonica. These results include several new fungus-host and fungusinsect associations, and G. pseudormiticum is reported here for the first time from China.

Discovery of Ophiostoma tsotsi on Eucalyptus wood chips in China

“…The isolates from Eucalyptus in China all grouped with O. tsotsi. In the present study, EF sequences were also produced for two O. quercus isolates from Tsuga in China, which Paciura et al (2010) identified based on ITS and BT sequences. These two isolates formed a subclade within the larger, well-supported O. quercus group.…”

“…This species is a ubiquitous sapstain fungus primarily occurring on hardwoods, and to a lesser extent on conifers, with a global distribution (Brasier and Kirk 1993;Harrington et al 2001;Geldenhuis et al 2004;Thwaites et al 2004;Zhou et al 2004;Kamgan et al 2008;Linnakoski et al 2008;Nkuekam et al 2008). The first confirmed reports of O. quercus from east Asia were published only during the past decade (De Beer et al 2003b;Lin et al 2003;Kim et al 2005;Chung et al 2006;Masuya et al 2009;Paciura et al 2010). However, it has been suggested that isolates reported as O. piceae (Münch) Syd.…”

Parascedosporium and its relatives: phylogeny and ecological trends

“…Sequences compromised those downloaded from GenBank (Jacobs et al 2003, Okada et al 1998, Paciura et al 2010 supplemented with sequences generated from material in the CBS collection of fungus cultures and other sequences from CBS not yet incorporated into the public collection.…”

“…The beetles transport fungal cells in their mycangia and use fungal gardens as food source. Jacobs et al (2003) and Paciura et al (2010) reported on Graphium species as associates of bark beetles (Table 1); the species concerned all belong to a single clade (Fig. 1).…”

Multigene phylogenies of Ophiostomataceae associated with Monterey pine bark beetles in Spain reveal three new fungal species

“…Bark beetles that infest conifers carry many different ophiostomatoid fungi including those related to Ophiostoma (Jacobs and Kirisits 2003;Kim et al 2003;Zhou et al 2004Zhou et al , 2006Kirisits 2007;Romon et al 2007;Linnakoski et al 2008Linnakoski et al , 2009Masuya et al 2009;Jankowiak and Kolarik 2010;Linnakoski et al 2010;Paciura et al 2010) and Ceratocystis (Harrington and Wingfield 1998, Harrington et al 2002, van Wyk et al 2004, Viiri and Lieutier 2004, Reid et al 2010. Although many of these fungi have the ability to cause lesions when inoculated into conifers (e.g.…”