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Abstract
Three recent collections of Doassansiopsis from western Cameroon are assessed taxonomically. Doassansiopsis caldesiae M. Piątek & Vánky is described as a new species from infected leaves of Caldesia reniformis (D. Don) Makino. Its diagnostic characters are flat, nonthickened sori with spore balls as blackish, slightly elevated dots, more or less globoid spores, conspicuous cortical sterile cells and parasitism on Caldesia reniformis of family Alismataceae. The species is compared to another Doassansiopsis species on host plants belonging to family Alismataceae. Doassansiopsis tomasii Vánky is described from two localities on Nymphaea nouchali Burm.f. var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc. (Nymphaeaceae), which represents the first report of this smut from Cameroon and western Africa. Similarities between this species and Doassansiopsis nymphaeae (Syd. & P. Syd.) Thirum. and D. ticonis M. Piepenbr. are outlined and the global distribution of the three taxa is mapped. The species concept in the genus Doassansiopsis is discussed, and a key to all known species of the genus is provided.
We are grateful for the assistance of Christine Vánky (Tübingen, Germany) and André L. Njouonkou (Yaoundé, Cameroon) for their help in field studies, Joanna Kazik (Łódź, Poland) for checking the English, Krzysztof Pawlowski (Kraków, Poland) for preparing the Latin description, Anna Łatkiewicz (Kraków, Poland) for her help with the SEM pictures, curators of BPI, HCIO, IMI and K for the loan of specimens and anonymous reviewers for valuable suggestions that improved the manuscript. This work was partly supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education for 2005–2008, grant No. 2 P04G 019 28.