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Abstract
The genus Ophiostoma includes numerous species of primarily insect-vectored, wood-staining fungi. Several anamorph genera that differ in their micronematous or macronematous conidiogenous cells have been associated with Ophiostoma species. Among the former group, Sporothrix is associated with many species and is characterized by conidiogenous cells that arise laterally or terminally from any place on the hyphae and produce nonseptate conidia on sympodially developing denticles. The purpose of this study was to characterize ophiostomatoid isolates with Sporothrix anamorphs recently collected in Austria and Azerbaijan. The isolates were characterized based on comparisons of rDNA and β-tubulin sequence data. Morphology, growth in culture, and sexual reproductive mode were also considered. Phylogenetic analyses of the combined sequence data showed that the isolates formed two distinct groups, one including isolates from Austria and the other isolates from Austria and Azerbaijan. Growth at 25 C and morphology revealed some differences between the two groups, and supported the view that they represent two new species, which we describe here as Ophiostoma fusiforme sp. nov. and Ophiostoma lunatum sp. nov. Both these groups phylogenetically were related to, but distinct from, Ophiostoma stenoceras.
We thank Renate Zipfel for providing us with a new and previously unpublished DNA extraction technique, Irene Barnes for advice regarding DNA sequences, Dr Erhard Halmschlager (IFFF-BOKU) and other collectors for supplying cultures and Dr Hugh Glen for providing the Latin diagnoses. We also acknowledge members of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP), the National Research Foundation (NRF), the THRIP initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa, for financial assistance, and the University of Pretoria for a postdoctoral fellowship to Dilzara N. Aghayeva.