A novel species of Microsphaeropsis causing cankers on rafnia amplexicaulis in South Africa
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Date
Authors
Paap, Trudy
Marincowitz, Seonju
Pham, N.Q.
Roets, F.
Basson, R.J.
Wingfield, Brenda D.
Wingfield, Michael J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute
Abstract
Cankers leading to branch, stem and plant death were observed on the South African endemic Rafnia amplexicaulis (Fabaceae) in the Cederberg Wilderness Area, South Africa, during September 2021. Conidiomatal pycnidia were found developing on the cankers, and isolations consistently yielded a Microsphaeropsis species. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS), the nuclear large subunit (LSU) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) regions showed that the fungus represented an undescribed species. Based on the multigene phylogeny and morphological characteristics, we describe the species here as M. rafniae sp. nov. Pathogenicity tests and the fulfilment of Koch’s postulates confirmed that M. rafniae sp. nov. is the cause of the cankers of R. amplexicaulis. Presently, this disease is known from a single location in South
Africa, and further surveys are required to determine its distribution and relative importance.
Description
Keywords
Multigene, Phylogeny, New taxon, Pathogenicity, Internal transcribed spacer (ITS), RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), Large subunit (LSU), SDG-15: Life on land
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG-15:Life on land
Citation
Paap, T., Marincowitz, S., Pham, N.Q., Roets, F., Basson, R.J., Wingfield, B.D., Oberlander, K. & Wingfield, M.J. (2023). A novel species of Microsphaeropsis causing cankers on Rafnia amplexicaulis in South Africa. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 12: 73–80. DOI: 10.3114/fuse.2023.12.05.