Phylogenetic lineages in the Botryosphaeriaceae

Abstract

Botryosphaeria is a species-rich genus with a cosmopolitan distribution, commonly associated with dieback and cankers of woody plants. As many as 18 anamorph genera have been associated with Botryosphaeria, most of which have been reduced to synonymy under Diplodia (conidia mostly ovoid, pigmented, thick-walled), or Fusicoccum (conidia mostly fusoid, hyaline, thin-walled). However, there are numerous conidial anamorphs having morphological characteristics intermediate between Diplodia and Fusicoccum, and there are several records of species outside the Botryosphaeriaceae that have anamorphs apparently typical of Botryosphaeria s.str. Recent studies have also linked Botryosphaeria to species with pigmented, septate ascospores, and Dothiorella anamorphs, or Fusicoccum anamorphs with Dichomera synanamorphs. The aim of this study was to employ DNA sequence data of the 28S rDNA to resolve apparent lineages within the Botryosphaeriaceae. From these data, 12 clades are recognised. Two of these lineages clustered outside the Botryosphaeriaceae, namely Diplodia-like anamorphs occurring on maize, which are best accommodated in Stenocarpella (Diaporthales), as well as an unresolved clade including species of Camarosporium/Microdiplodia. We recognise 10 lineages within the Botryosphaeriaceae, including an unresolved clade (Diplodia/Lasiodiplodia/Tiarosporella), Botryosphaeria s.str. (Fusicoccum anamorphs), Macrophomina, Neoscytalidium gen. nov., Dothidotthia (Dothiorella anamorphs), Neofusicoccum gen. nov. (Botryosphaeria-like teleomorphs, Dichomera-like synanamorphs), Pseudofusicoccum gen. nov., Saccharata (Fusicoccum- and Diplodia-like synanamorphs), “Botryosphaeria” quercuum (Diplodia-like anamorph), and Guignardia (Phyllosticta anamorphs). Separate teleomorph and anamorph names are not provided for newly introduced genera, even where both morphs are known. The taxonomy of some clades and isolates (e.g. B. mamane) remains unresolved due to the absence of ex-type cultures.

Botryosphaeriaceae species overlap on four unrelated, native South African hosts

“…Sequence data of only four species, namely T. tritici, T. graminis var. karroo, T. madreeya (Crous et al 2006) and T. urbis-rosarum (Jami et al 2012) are available in GenBank, all of which have been isolated from different hosts in South Africa (from Poaceae, Zygophyllaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae) (Jami et al 2012;Sutton and Marasas 1976). It is not clear whether this current restriction of sequences for the genus exclusively from southern African isolates is due to a lack of sampling in some other regions of the world.…”

Pathogenic Botryosphaeriaceae associated with Mangifera indica in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia

“…However, the telomorphs of many species of Botryosphaeriaceae are rarely encountered and the anamorphs often have overlapping morphological characteristics and share niches. This has led to confusion and misidentification of species, necessitating the use of molecular phylogenetic methods to confirm species level identification (Smith and Stanosz 2001;Burgess et al 2005;Slippers et al 2005;Burgess et al 2006a;Crous et al 2006).…”

Use of the Genealogical Sorting Index (GSI) to delineate species boundaries in the Neofusicoccum parvum–Neofusicoccum ribis species complex

“…The genus Botryosphaeria has recently been re-evaluated based on the LSU sequence (Crous et al, 2006). Botryosphaeria has been retained for only two species; Botryosphaeria dothidea and Botryosphaeria corticis (Crous et al, 2006).…”

“…Botryosphaeria has been retained for only two species; Botryosphaeria dothidea and Botryosphaeria corticis (Crous et al, 2006). The genus Neofusicoccum, consists of species with Fusicoccum-like anamorphs and Dichomeralike synanamorphs (Crous et al, 2006).…”