New species of Gondwanamyces from dying Euphorbia trees in South Africa

• Published in: Mycologia Vol. 104; no. 2; pp. 574 - 584
• Main Authors: van der Linde, Johannes Alwyn, Six, Diana L., Wingfield, Michael J., Roux, Jolanda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 01-03-2012; Mycological Society of America
• Subjects: African culture; Animals; Ascomycota - classification; Ascomycota - genetics; Ascomycota - isolation & purification; Ascomycota - ultrastructure; Base Sequence; Biological taxonomies; Branches; Cecropia; Coleoptera - microbiology; Conidia; Conidiophores; Cossonus; Custingophora; DNA, Fungal - chemistry; DNA, Fungal - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - genetics; Euphorbia; Euphorbia - microbiology; Euphorbia - parasitology; Euphorbia ingens; Euphorbia tetragona; Fungi; Gondwanamyces; Inoculation; insect-fungus interactions; Knoxdavesia; Lesions; Molecular Sequence Data; Nucleotide sequences; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plant Diseases - parasitology; Protea; Sequence Analysis, DNA; South Africa; Spores, Fungal - ultrastructure; SYSTEMATICS; tree diseases; Trees
• ISSN: 0027-5514; 1557-2536
• DOI: 10.3852/11-166

Gondwanamyces and its Custingophora anamorphs were first described from Protea infructescences in South Africa. Subsequently these unusual fungi were also found on Cecropia in Central America. During an investigation into the decline and death of native Euphorbia trees in South Africa, several fungal isolates resembling the anamorph state of Gondwanamyces were obtained from diseased tissues. In this study these isolates are identified based on morphology and comparisons of DNA sequences. Two previously unknown Gondwanamyces species were identified, both were associated with damage caused by beetles (Cossonus sp.). Inoculation studies showed that the new species of Gondwanamyces are pathogenic on Euphorbia ingens and may contribute to the decline of these trees.