Rust fungi of New Zealand—An introduction, and list of recorded species

Abstract

An overview of the rust fungi (Basidiomycota, Teliomycetes, Uredinales) is presented as an introduction towards a new rust mycoflora for New Zealand. All species recorded from New Zealand are listed, together with details on their host plants, a reference to the first New Zealand record of each unique rust/host combination, and a separate alphabetical list of host plants and the rust fungi which parasitise them. New Zealand has a depauperate rust flora consisting of 234 recorded species, of which 54% are native. Of 22 genera recorded from New Zealand only five genera (Hamaspora, Kuehneola, Phragmidium, Puccinia, Uromyces) and three form genera (Aecidium, Caeoma, Uredo) contain native species. Only five genera (Phragmidium, Melampsora, Puccinia, Uromyces, Uromycladium) and two form genera (Aecidium, Uredo) are represented by more than two species. Melampsora contains mainly adventive species; approximately half of the Phragmidium, Puccinia, and Uromyces species and all the Uromycladium species are adventive. Some 95% of the Uredo species and all the Aecidium species are native. Only eight native rusts have spread to exotic hosts; Uredo puawhananga commonly infects some exotic, cultivated Clematis species, while Puccinia lagenophorae is sometimes troublesome on cultivars of Bellis perennis. None of the 17 exotic rusts infecting native plants is of economic or conservation concern.The widespread rusts in New Zealand are often adventive species. Only 5% of adventive rusts B97050 Received 17 July 1997; accepted 24 November 1997 are confined to the South Island, but 30% are confined to the North Island. This inequity probably reflects the warmer conditions in the north, and the fact that adventive species are often of tropical origin. Of the native species, 34% occur only in the South Island and just 14% are restricted to the North Island. Since 1945, on average, more than one new adventive rust has been found per year. Most of them are of northern temperate origin, but often considered to be introduced from Australia by transTasman airflows.

On some rust fungi (Uredinales) collected in an Acacia koa–Metrosideros polymorpha woodland, Mauna Loa Road, Big Island, Hawaii

“…Recently, changes in the rust flora have been documented in detail in a Northern Hemisphere temperate region, namely in the Pomeranian Boddenlandscape in NE Germany (Scholler 1996) and in the New Zealand archipelago (McKenzie 1998). A comparison of the two rust floras with the Hawaiian one with respect to diversity and origin of species is quite interesting (see Table 1).…”

The rust fungi (Uredinales) on ferns in South Africa

“…In New Zealand, there are Uredo lindsaeae Henn., Milesia histiopteridis and Hyalopsora polypodii (Pers.) Magnus which has its southernmost outpost on the North Island (Faull 1932;Hiratsuka 1958;McKenzie 1998;New Zealand Landcare Research 2005). Milesia nervisequa and Uredinopsis pteridis have been recorded previously in South Africa and another two or probably three new fern rusts are added in this paper to the South African rust mycobiota.…”

Occurrence of a rust disease of Fuchsia caused by Pucciniastrum epilobii in Indonesia

“…pustulatum, U. fuchsiae) has been reported from Central-North America (Hiratsuka 1958;Loring and Roth 1964;Strider and Jones 1978;Farr et al 1989), Europe (Hiratsuka 1958;Gäumann 1959;Wilson andHenderson 1966), andOceania (McNabb andLaurenson 1965;Dingley 1969;McKenzie 1998), but not from Fuchsia spp. in Asia, though its distribution on Epilobium and other host plants had been reported from Asia.…”