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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #294325
Title: Revision of the Genus Corallomycetella with Corallonectria gen. nov. for C. jatrophae (Nectriaceae, Hypocreales)

Author
item HERRERA, C - University Of Maryland
item Rossman, Amy
item SAMUELS, GARY - Retired ARS Employee
item LECHAT, CHRISTIAN - University Of Rennes, France
item CHAVERRI, PRISCILA - University Of Maryland

Submitted to: Mycosystema
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/3/2013
Publication Date: 6/12/2013
Citation: Herrera, C.S., Rossman, A.Y., Samuels, G.J., Lechat, C., Chaverri, P. 2013. Revision of the Genus Corallomycetella with Corallonectria gen. nov. for C. jatrophae (Nectriaceae, Hypocreales). Mycosystema. 32(3):518-544.

Interpretive Summary: Fungi are a large and diverse group of organisms that cause serious diseases of crop and forest plants. Accurate knowledge of fungi is critical for controlling the diseases they cause. Cacao and rubber are tropical plants that produce crops important to the U.S. economy. These crop plants are attacked by fungi that cause root rot diseases. In this research the fungi that cause these diseases are precisely defined. For example, a species previously considered to be just one species was determined to actually consist of two species that have different geographic distributions. Another species thought to be closely related to these species was determined to be very different and is placed in a genus that is new to science. This research will help plant pathologists to accurately identify the cause of diseases of these important crops.

Technical Abstract: The genus Corallomycetella (Ascomycota, Sordariomycetes, Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) has been defined to include red nectrioid fungi associated with rhizomorphs in nature and culture. With the recent collection of an unusual specimen having striated ascospores, the genus was re-examined using this and previously obtained cultures. A multilocus tree was constructed based on three loci (ITS, MCM7, ß-tubulin) to determine phylogenetic relationships. Our results indicate that Corallomycetella repens sensu lato forms two clades associated with biogeography. Corallomycetella repens sensu stricto is restricted to specimens from Asia while C. elegans is resurrected for specimens from Africa and America. Minute striations in the ascospores are an overlooked character in species of Corallomycetella. Corallomycetella jatrophae is related to Neonectria sensu lato and unrelated to C. repens and C. elegans; thus, a new genus, Corallonectria, is described to accommodate this species. Corallonectria is characterized by furfuraceous perithecia and synnematous fusarium-like anamorph.