Discover hidden taxa of Erysiphe section Erysiphe fungi (Ascomycota, Erysiphaceae) based on morphology and multilocus phylogeny in China

By

Zhang, Zhao-Yang
Wu, Xue-Lian
Lv, Xiao-Xue
Liu, Tie-Zhi
Jin, Dan-Ni
Liu, Li
Wang, Shuang-Bao
Feng, Jing
Hsiang, Tom
Li, Yu
Liu, Shuyan

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-6-4

Original Publication

MycoKeys

Volume

118

Pages

119--146

Subjects

28S rDNA , IGS , ITS , Morphology , new species , powdery mildew , rpb2 , TUB

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2011-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.118.154217

 

Abstract

Erysiphe sect. Erysiphe, a taxonomically significant group within the genus Erysiphe, is distinguished from other Erysiphe sections by its mycelioid chasmothecial appendages. While approximately half of the known species in this section occur in China, our preliminary assessments suggest that a substantial number of cryptic taxa remain undetected. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive phylogeographic survey evaluating 78 specimens collected from 18 provinces (municipalities/autonomous regions) across China. Our integrative approach combined morphological characterization with molecular phylogenetic analyses using five DNA loci: internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S rDNA, intergenic spacer (IGS), RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (RPB2), and β-tubulin (TUB). This study led to the discovery of three newly described species (E. clematidissp. nov. on Clematis spp., E. limoniicolasp. nov. on Limonium spp., and E. paeoniae-suffruticosaesp. nov. on Paeonia × suffruticosa and two newly recorded species from China (E. malvae on Malva pusilla and E. punicae on Punica granatum). Notably, our phylogenetic framework demonstrates that incorporating IGS, RPB2, and TUB markers substantially enhances species-level resolution and provides critical insights into cryptic speciation within powdery mildews.