An expanded concept of Ceratocystis manginecans and five new species in the Latin American clade of Ceratocystis

• Published in: Mycologia 2024, Vol.116 (1), p.184-212
• Main Authors: Harrington, T C, Ferreira, M A, Somasekhara, Y M, Vickery, Jenna, Mayers, Chase G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ascomycota; Ceratocystis - genetics; DNA, Fungal - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - genetics; Latin America; Plant Diseases
• ISSN: 0027-5514; 1557-2536
• DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2023.2284070

The genus contains a number of emerging plant pathogens, mostly members of the Latin American Clade (LAC), in which there are several unresolved taxonomic controversies. Among the most important are Brazilian pathogens in the complex, and . Representatives of and from India and China, respectively, were shown to be fully interfertile in laboratory matings, and hybrids between the putative species were identified on in India. An Indian tester strain was sexually compatible with representatives of what has been considered on numerous hosts across Brazil. In this revision of the LAC, the name is restricted to the widely dispersed strain, and is recognized as a Brazilian species that is important on , and many other crops. and are also considered synonyms of . Based on phylogenetics and mating studies, two other Brazilian species are recognized: , sp. nov., and , sp. nov., each with wide host ranges. Three new Caribbean species are recognized based on phylogenetics and earlier inoculation studies: , sp. nov., on , sp. nov., on , and , sp. nov., on the vegetatively propagated aroids and . Some of the other species were based primarily on unique internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequences, but the unreliability of rDNA sequences was demonstrated when intraspecific crossing of isolates with differing ITS sequences generated single-ascospore progeny with intragenomic variation in ITS sequences and others with new ITS sequences. Species recognition in should use phenotype, including intersterility tests, to help identify which lineages are species. Although some species remain under-studied, we recognize 16 species in the LAC, all believed to be native to Latin America, the Caribbean region, or eastern USA.