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Abstract
Conidiomata of a fungus resembling Chrysoporthe cubensis, a serious canker pathogen of Eucalyptus spp. (Myrtaceae, Myrtales) in tropical and subtropical parts of the world, was found on Eucalyptus grandis in Colombia. Fruiting structures of the fungus could be distinguished from those of C. cubensis by their distinctly orange conidiomatal necks. This fungus also was found on several plant species native to Colombia including Tibouchina urvilleana, T. lepidota and Miconia theaezans (Melastomataceae, Myrtales). Morphological comparisons, as well as those based on sequences of the ITS1/ITS2 region of the ribosomal DNA repeat and the β-tubulin gene, were used to characterize this fungus. Its pathogenicity was assessed on various plants from which it has been collected, either in field or greenhouse trials. Phylogenetic analyses showed that isolates reside in a clade distinct from the four clades accommodating Chrysoporthe, Cryphonectria, Endothia and Rostraureum. Members of this clade are distinguished by the presence of orange conidiomatal necks with black bases and a unique internal stromatal structure. No teleomorph has been found for this fungus, for which we have provided the name Aurapex penicillata gen. sp. nov. A. penicillata produced only small lesions after inoculation on young T. urvilleana, M. theaezans and E. grandis trees and appears not to be a serious pathogen.
We thank Dr B.E. Eisenberg for the statistical analyses presented in this study as well as Liliana Perafan for additional statistical support. Dr H.F. Glen of the National Botanical Institute of Pretoria, Pretoria, provided the Latin description and assisted us in choosing a name for the new fungus. Dr Luis F. Osorio and Mr Ramon Arbelaez provided technical assistance during sampling and field trials in Colombia. This study was made possible through financial support of Smurfit Carton de Colombia, as well as the National Research Foundation (NRF), members of the Tree Pathology Co-operative Programme (TPCP), the THRIP support programme of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Science and Technology/ NRF Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology (CTHB), South Africa.