Soral synapomorphies are significant for the systematics of the <I>Ustilago-Sporisorium-Macalpinomyces</I> complex (<I>Ustilaginaceae</I>)

Abstract

The genera Ustilago, Sporisorium and Macalpinomyces are a polyphyletic complex of plant pathogenic fungi. The four main morphological characters used to define these genera have been considered homoplasious and not useful for resolving the complex. This study re-evaluates character homology and discusses the use of these characters for defining monophyletic groups recovered from a reconstructed phylogeny using four nuclear loci. Generic delimitation of smut fungi based on their hosts is also discussed as a means for identifying genera within this group. Morphological characters and host specificity can be used to circumscribe genera within the Ustilago-Sporisorium-Macalpinomyces complex.

A molecular phylogenetic framework for Anthracocystis (Ustilaginales), including five new combinations (inter alia for the asexual Pseudozyma flocculosa), and description of Anthracocystis grodzinskae sp. nov.

“…Molecular phylogenetic studies by Stoll et al (2003Stoll et al ( , 2005 revealed that Sporisorium species are split into two main lineages. This finding was later confirmed by other molecular analyses (Cunnington et al 2005;Vánky et al 2006;Vánky and Lutz 2011;McTaggart et al 2012a;Shivas et al 2013;Zhang et al 2013). These two main lineages included the type species of Sporisorium (S. sorghi Ehrenb.…”

“…Sporisorium nervosum AY740057/ AY740110 generated from specimen M 56622 (Stoll et al 2005) may also be wrongly identified, as a sequence of this species (HQ013106), generated from the holotype specimen (BRIP 27019), was nested within the Sporisorium s. str. lineage (McTaggart et al 2012a). Re-sequencing of both specimens is necessary to resolve which sequences are indeed linked to Sporisorium nervosum.…”

Emended description of Anomalomyces (Ustilaginales), including Anomalomyces yakirrae sp. nov. on Yakirra pauciflora (Poaceae) from Australia

“…Spore germination resulted in phragmobasidia that produced basidiospores laterally and terminally. Th e establishment of Anomalomyces as a distinct genus was subsequently supported by molecular analyses (McTaggart et al 2012b). Anomalomyces is monotypic represented by the type species A. panici Vánky, R.G.…”

“…1) (Stoll et al 2005;McTaggart et al 2012b). Alignments of sequence data were undertaken with the MAFFT algorithm and were unedited (Katoh et al 2009).…”

First record of Langdonia aristidae (Ustilaginales) from Madagascar

“…Th e sori are without columella and fi lled with spore balls formed from coiled sporogenous hyphae. Usually, sterile cells formed from non-sporogenous hyphae are absent (McTaggart et al 2012a, b;Vánky 2013 .…”