Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal two new Alternaria species (Pleosporales, Pleosporaceae) in Alternaria section from Cucurbitaceae plants in China

By

Aung, Sein Lai Lai
Yin, Liu-Feng
Gou, Ya Nan
Nwe, Zin Mar
Yu, Zhi-He
Deng, Jian Xin

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024

Original Publication

MycoKeys

Volume

107

Pages

125--139

Subjects

Morphology , novel species , Phylogeny , small-spored Alternaria , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2011-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.107.124814

 

Abstract

Alternaria species are commonly found as saprophytes, endophytes and plant pathogens. During a survey of small-spored Alternaria in China, two new species were discovered from Cucurbitaceae plants collected in Hubei and Sichuan provinces. This study identified two new species of Alternaria using seven genes (ITS, GAPDH, TEF1, RPB2, Alt a 1, EndoPG, and OPA10-2) for phylogenetic analyses and morphological characteristics. The two new species A. jingzhouensis and A. momordicae were described and illustrated. Alternaria jingzhouensissp. nov., associated with Citrullus lanatus, is characterized by producing muriform, ellipsoidal, flask-shaped, rostrate, and beaked conidia. It differs from A. koreana, A. ovoidea, and A. baoshanensis by bearing conidia in a simple conidiogenous locus with occasionally longer beaks in a chain, and from A. momordicaesp. nov. by having shorter beaks. Alternaria momordicaesp. nov. from Momordica charantia was distinct from A. koreana, A. ovoidea, and A. baoshanensis by producing muriform, long ellipsoid or ovoid to obclavate, sometimes inverted club-shaped conidia on a single conidiogenous locus with a wider body and longer beak in a chain, and distinct from A. jingzhouensissp. nov. by a longer beak conidia. These two species were clearly distinguished from other species in the section Alternaria based on DNA based phylogeny and morphological characteristics. The morphological features were discussed and compared to relevant species in the present paper.