New species of Bannoa described from the tropics and the first report of the genus in South America

ABSTRACT

The genus Bannoa consists of four described species associated with dead leaves in southwestern Japan. In this study, we describe three new species, Bannoa guamensis, B. rosea, and B. tropicalis, from the South Pacific island of Guam and Guyana in South America. Isolates were obtained from surfaces of diseased and healthy leaves of plants in the Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, and Poaceae. DNA sequences from four gene regions, including nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer ITS1‐5.8S‐ITS2 (ITS), D1–D2 domains of nuc 28S rDNA (28S), nuc 18S rDNA (18S), and a portion of tef1, which encodes translation elongation factor 1-alpha, were produced for phylogenetic analysis. Intercompatibility tests were performed, and subsequent development of clamp connections and basidia were documented for B. tropicalis. Potential life history strategies and association with diseased leaves, including rust-infected leaves, were evaluated across the genus. This is the first report of a species of Bannoa from South America.

KEYWORDS:

• Cystobasidiomycetes
• pink yeasts
• Pucciniomycotina
• rust fungi
• tropical fungi
• 3 new taxa

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University, Luis Maldonado, and the Kokini laboratory at Purdue University for use of the microplate reading device. Permits for collecting and research in Guyana were granted by the Guyanese Environmental Protection Agency; M.C.A. acknowledges Dr. Rachel Koch for valuable field assistance in Guyana. Travel and collecting in Guam were facilitated by Dr. Robert Schlub and the University of Guam. Lastly, the authors thank two anonymous reviewers, an executive editor, and the members of the Aime laboratory for their suggested improvements to earlier versions of the manuscript.

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Funding

P.P.P. is grateful to the Colciencias Fellowship program for partial funding of doctoral studies at Purdue University. Support for travel, isolation, and sequencing of the cultures used in this study was provided over the last decade through funding from NSF DEB 0732968 (D. Hibbett and M.C.A.), NSF DEB 1501782 (M.C.A.), NSF DEB 1556412 (M.C.A.), and USDA Hatch No. 1010662 (M.C.A.).