The first smut fungus, Thecaphora anthemidis sp. nov. (Glomosporiaceae), described from Anthemis (Asteraceae)

By

Kruse, Julia
Kummer, Volker
Shivas, Roger G.
Thines, Marco

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2018

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

41

Pages

39-50

Subjects

Glomosporiaceae , host specificity , internal transcribed spacer , molecular phylogenetics , Smut fungi

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.41.28454

 

Abstract

There are 63 known species ofThecaphora(Glomosporiaceae, Ustilaginomycotina), a third of which occur on Asteraceae. These smut fungi produce yellowish-brown to reddish-brown masses of spore balls in specific, mostly regenerative, plant organs. A species ofThecaphorawas collected in the flower heads ofAnthemischia(Anthemideae, Asteraceae) on Rhodes Island, Greece, in 2015 and 2017, which represents the first smut record of a smut fungus on a host plant species in this tribe. Based on its distinctive morphology, host species and genetic divergence, this species is described asThecaphoraanthemidissp. nov.Molecular barcodes of the ITS region are provided for this and several other species ofThecaphora. A phylogenetic and morphological comparison to closely related species showed thatTh.anthemidisdiffered from other species ofThecaphora.Thecaphoraanthemidisproduced loose spore balls in the flower heads and peduncles ofAnthemischiaunlike other flower-infecting species.