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Title: HYPOCREA ATROVIRIDIS SP. NOV.: THE TELEOMORPH OF TRICHODERMA ATROVIRIDE

Author
item DODD, SARAH - PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
item LIECKFELDT, ELKE - BERLIN GERMANY
item Samuels, Gary

Submitted to: Mycologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/18/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Fungi in the genus Hypocrea, often as their Trichoderma asexual states, are useful in the biological control of plant diseases. Development of more effective biocontrol agents is hindered by the lack of a known sexual state for many species of Trichoderma. A new species of Hypocrea was discovered that is the sexual state of Trichoderma atroviridis, a commonly used biocontrol fungus. In this paper the sexual state, Hypocrea atroviridis, is described and illustrated as a species new to science. The connection of this new species to the asexual T. atroviridis is proven using both morphological and molecular characteristics. This work will be used by plant pathologists who are working to develop more effective biological controls agents that can be used in the control of plant diseases.

Technical Abstract: A new species, Hypocrea atroviridis, is described for the teleomorph of Trichoderma atroviride. Based on sequences of ITS-1, 5.8S and ITS-2 regions of the rDNA complex and translation-elongation factor (EF-1), T. atroviride and H. atroviridis form a well supported clade within Trichoderma sect. Trichoderma. The conserved anamorphic phenotype of T. atroviride, observed for both conidial and ascospore derived cultures, was only found within that clade. In contrast, the teleomorph phenotype of H. atroviridis was morphologically indistinguishable from H. rufa, the teleomorph of T. viride. This Hypocrea phenotype may, therefore, be considered to be plesiomorphic within Trichoderma sect. Trichoderma, suggesting that genes controlling the expression of the telemorph and anamorph, respectively, evolve at different rates and that the genes controlling expression of the teleomorph are more conserved than are those controlling the expression of the anamorph.