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Persoonia : Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi logoLink to Persoonia : Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi
. 2017 Jun 1;40:1–25. doi: 10.3767/persoonia.2018.40.01

Symptomatic Citrus trees reveal a new pathogenic lineage in Fusarium and two new Neocosmospora species

M Sandoval-Denis 1,2, V Guarnaccia 1, G Polizzi 3, PW Crous 1,2,4,
PMCID: PMC6146640  PMID: 30504994

Abstract

The diversity of fusaria in symptomatic Citrus trees in Greece, Italy and Spain was evaluated using morphological and molecular multi-locus analyses based on fragments of the calmodulin (CAM), intergenic spacer region of the rDNA (IGS), internal transcribed spacer region of the rDNA (ITS), large subunit of the rDNA (LSU), RNA polymerase largest subunit (RPB1), RNA polymerase second largest subunit (RPB2), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) and beta-tubulin (TUB) genes. A total of 11 species (six Fusarium spp., and five Neocosmospora spp.) were isolated from dry root rot, crown, trunk or twig canker or twig dieback of citrus trees. The most commonly isolated species were Fusarium sarcochroum, F. oxysporum and Neocosmospora solani. Three new Fusarium species are described, i.e., F. citricola and F. salinense belonging to the newly described F. citricola species complex; and F. siculi belonging to the F. fujikuroi species complex. Results of pathogenicity tests showed this new complex to include prominent canker causing agents affecting several Citrus spp. In addition, two new species are described in Neocosmospora, named N. croci and N. macrospora, the latter species being clearly differentiated from most members of this genus by producing large, up to nine-septate sporodochial conidia.

Keywords: Citrus canker, citrus dieback, morphology, multigene phylogeny, systematics

INTRODUCTION

Fusarium (Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) is one of the most renowned genera in kingdom Fungi. It includes in its broad sense, a large number of morphologically and phylogenetically diverse fungi, commonly found as air-, soil- or water-borne saprobic organisms, and also found either in dead or living plant material as endophytes or epiphytes (Leslie & Summerell 2006, 2011, Aoki et al. 2014). Many Fusarium spp. are also important plant pathogens or secondary invaders with worldwide distribution, while numerous species are significant mycotoxigenic species or agents of devastating human and animal diseases, often isolated from immunocompromised hosts (O’Donnell et al. 2010, 2016, Aoki et al. 2014, Van Diepeningen et al. 2014).

First described by Link (1809) and typified by Fusarium roseum (presently F. sambucinum nom. cons.) (Gams et al. 1997), the generic and species concepts in Fusarium have endured significant changes since the cornerstone phenotypically-based taxonomic treatments that grouped species into sections, morphological varieties or forms and later in formae speciales based on pathogenicity and host ranges (Wollenweber & Reinking 1935, Snyder & Hansen 1940, Toussoun & Nelson 1976, Gerlach & Nirenberg 1982, Nelson et al. 1983, Burgess et al. 1988); and the following redistribution of species into complexes after the introduction of modern molecular tools (O’Donnell et al. 2000, 2013, Geiser et al. 2013, Aoki et al. 2014). Currently, more than 1 400 Fusarium names are listed in the Index Fungorum and MycoBank databases.

Gräfenhan et al. (2011) and Schroers et al. (2011) provided compelling phylogenetic evidence indicating that the traditional morphology-based concept of Fusarium is polyphyletic, suggesting the splicing of the genus into several linages, many of them linked to known distinct sexual-morphs. Contrary arguments were presented by Geiser et al. (2013), arguing for a wider definition of the genus in order to conserve the long standing use of Fusarium avoiding the exclusion of many agriculturally and medically relevant species, especially those in the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC). More recently, Lombard et al. (2015) revised the generic limits of the Nectriaceae based on a 10-gene phylogenetic approach combined with morphological observations; as a result Fusarium was confined to species producing a Gibberella sexual morph (perithecial ascomata, white, yellow, orange to dark purple-black coloured with warty superficial peridium cells, forming (0–)1–3-septate, smooth, ellipsoidal ascospores) and in this new circumscription it includes at least 16 species complexes and numerous monotypic lineages (O’Donnell et al. 2013). Neocosmospora now includes one the most recognised groups of plant, human and animal pathogens previously assigned to the Fusarium solani species complex, characterised by forming yellow, orange or red-brown coloured perithecial sexual-morphs, with smooth to coarsely warted, large and angular superficial peridial cells, producing aseptate or 1-septate, globose to ellipsoidal, finely striate ascospores. Lastly, two new genera were proposed, Bisifusarium which encompasses asexual species previously included in the Fusarium dimerum species complex, including species associated with fruit rot and roots of Citrus spp. as well as clinically relevant fungi (Schroers et al. 2009), morphologically characterised by the lack of microconidia, a rather slow growth, forming slimy colonies on artificial media, and the production of short fusarium-like 0–1(–2)-septate macroconidia, while no sexual-morph has ever been described (Gerlach & Nirenberg 1982, Leslie & Summerell 2006, Schroers et al. 2009), and Rectifusarium to include species previously allocated to the Fusarium ventricosum species complex, characterised by the absence of sporodochia and the production of wedge-shaped macroconidia, terminal chlamydospores and dark-red, smooth-walled perithecia, forming 1-septate and verrucose ascospores (Wollenweber 1913, Booth 1971).

Fusarium was recently included in the top 10 globally most important genera of plant pathogenic fungi, based on perceived scientific and economic importance, in particular because of the F. graminearum (FGSC) and F. oxysporum (FOSC) phylogenetic species complexes (Dean et al. 2012). Further impactful fusaria include Fusarium subglutinans and F. verticillioides as well as Neocosmospora (Fusarium) solani s.str., and other members of the Neocosmospora solani species complex (FSSC) (Zhang et al. 2006).

Citrus is one of the most important fruit crops worldwide, second only to apple (FAO 2016). European countries, especially Italy and Spain, are among the largest producers and exporters worldwide (FAO 2016). Fusarium species are commonly found in soils and plants of citrus, in both orchard and nursery environments, and have been reported to be associated with major diseases of citrus plants (Menge 1988, Derrick & Timmer 2000), connected to several symptoms, such as dry root rot, root rot, feeder root rot, wilt, twig dieback and citrus decline (Menge 1988, Spina et al. 2008). Neocosmospora (Fusarium) solani s.lat. is the causal organism of a disease named dry root rot of citrus. The association between stressed plants and N. solani can be destructive causing a sudden decline when the plant is weakened by factors such as root girdling or injuries, association with Phytophthora rot, grafting incompatibility, poor drainage, poor soil aeration, excess fertilizer or soil pH alteration (Menge 1988, Polizzi et al. 1992). Members of FOSC are associated with Fusarium wilt of various citrus hosts (Timmer et al. 1979, Timmer 1982). Chlorosis and epinasty of young leaves, wilt, leaf abscission and young twig dieback are the first symptoms of this vascular disease. Often gum exudation and vascular discoloration are observed on affected twigs (Timmer et al. 1979, Timmer 1982). Fusarium equiseti has been isolated from citrus roots in Florida (Smith et al. 1988), while F. proliferatum, F. sambucinum and Neocosmospora (Fusarium) solani were isolated from roots in citrus orchards in Greece (Malikoutsaki-Mathioudi et al. 1987). Moreover, F. oxysporum f. sp. citri was recently found causing wilt on citrus in Tunisia (Hannachi et al. 2014).

By contrast, positive ecological interactions between fusaria and Citrus spp. have been recorded for species formerly included in Fusarium, i.e., Microcera coccophila (Syn Fusarium coccophilum) and Microcera larvarum (Syn Fusarium larvarum), successfully employed as biocontrol agents against citrus fruit attacking armoured scales (McCoy et al. 2009, Dao et al. 2015, Moore & Duncan 2016).

While Fusarium taxonomy is actively changing, with numerous species being described each year mostly based in molecular phylogenetic approaches, just a handful of studies deal with the distribution of Fusarium spp. in Citrus, and there is scant data for the Mediterranean basin. During a recent survey to identify fungal pathogens associated with Citrus in Europe, several fusarium-like isolates were obtained from diverse symptomatic tissues. This study was conducted in order to fully characterise these isolates using morphological and molecular characters. Furthermore, many papers discuss the dilemma to reproduce Fusarium diseases of citrus via artificial inoculations because of an uncertain interaction with biotic and abiotic factors (Graham et al. 1985, Dandurand & Menge 1993). In the present study, we thus only tested those Fusarium spp. isolated from twig and trunk canker disease symptoms, to determine their ability to induce those same disease symptoms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sampling

During 2015 and 2016 surveys were performed in important citrus-producing regions of Europe. Twigs, trunks and crown sections were collected from plants showing cankers, dry root rot, wilt and decline.

Fragments (5 × 5 mm) of symptomatic tissues were cut from the leading edges of lesions, surface-sterilised in a sodium hypochlorite solution (10 %) for 20 s, followed by 70 % ethanol for 30 s, and rinsed three times in sterilised water. Tissue fragments were dried in sterilised filter paper, placed on 2 % potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 100 μg/mL penicillin and 100 μg/mL streptomycin (PDA-PS) and incubated at 25 °C until characteristic Fusarium colonies were observed, after which pure cultures were obtained by transferring single conidia to fresh PDA.

Fungal isolates

A total of 39 fusarium-like isolates were obtained from symptomatic tissues of living Citrus spp. (Table 1).

Table 1.

Isolates form Citrus included in this study.

Species name1 Strain number2 Country and region Source Associated symptoms GenBank accession number3
CAM EF-1α IGS ITS LSU RPB1 RPB2 TUB
F. citricola CPC 27067 Italy, Cosenza Citrus lmon Twigs canker LT746194 LT746242 LT746242 LT746287 LT746307
CPC 27069 Italy, Vibo Valentia Citrus sinensis Twigs canker LT746195 LT746243 LT746243 LT746288 LT746308
CPC 27709 Italy, Taranto Citrus sinensis Trunk canker LT746196 LT746244 LT746244 LT746289 LT746309
CPC 27805 = CBS 142421T Italy, Cosenza Citrus reticulata Crown canker LT746197 LT746245 LT746245 LT746290 LT746310
CPC 27813 Italy, Cosenza Citrus reticulata Crown canker LT746198 LT746246 LT746246 LT746291 LT746311
F. ensiforme CPC 27190 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746199 LT746247 LT746247 LT746312
CPC 27191 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746200 LT746248 LT746248 LT746313
F. oxysporum CPC 27194 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746201 LT746233 LT746249 LT746249 LT746314
CPC 27196 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746202 LT746234 LT746250 LT746250 LT746315
CPC 27700 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746203 LT746235 LT746251 LT746251 LT746316
CPC 27701 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746204 LT746236 LT746252 LT746252 LT746317
CPC 27702 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746205 LT746237 LT746253 LT746253 LT746318
CPC 28190 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746206 LT746238 LT746254 LT746254 LT746319
F. salinense CPC 26403 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Twigs canker LT746191 LT746239 LT746239 LT746284 LT746304
CPC 26457 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Twigs canker LT746192 LT746240 LT746240 LT746285 LT746305
CPC 26973 = CBS 142420T Italy, Leni, Messina Citrus sinensis Twigs canker LT746193 LT746241 LT746241 LT746286 LT746306
F. sarcochroum CPC 26369 Italy, Catania Citrus limon Twigs dieback LT746207 LT746255 LT746255 LT746292 LT746320
CPC 26370 Italy, Catania Citrus limon Twigs dieback LT746208 LT746256 LT746256 LT746293 LT746321
CPC 26851 Greece, Missolonghi Citrus reticulata Trunk canker LT746209 LT746257 LT746257 LT746294 LT746322
CPC 27921 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Trunk canker LT746210 LT746258 LT746258 LT746295 LT746323
CPC 28075 Spain, Alginet Citrus reticulata Twigs dieback LT746211 LT746259 LT746259 LT746296 LT746324
CPC 28116 Spain, Algemesi Citrus reticulata Twigs dieback LT746212 LT746260 LT746260 LT746297 LT746325
CPC 28118 Spain, Castellò Citrus limon Twigs dieback LT746213 LT746261 LT746261 LT746298 LT746326
F. siculi CPC 27188 = CBS 142422T Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746189 LT746214 LT746262 LT746262 LT746299 LT746327 LT746346
CPC 27189 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746190 LT746215 LT746263 LT746263 LT746300 LT746328 LT746347
N. croci CPC 27186 = CBS 142423T Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746216 LT746264 LT746264 LT746329
CPC 27187 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746217 LT746265 LT746265 LT746330
N. macrospora CPC 28191 = CBS 142424T Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746218 LT746266 LT746281 LT746331
CPC 28192 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746219 LT746267 LT746282 LT746332
CPC 28193 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746220 LT746268 LT746283 LT746333
N. solani CPC 27192 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746221 LT746269 LT746269 LT746334
CPC 27193 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746222 LT746270 LT746270 LT746335
CPC 27198 Italy, Catania Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746223 LT746271 LT746271 LT746336
CPC 27199 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746224 LT746272 LT746272 LT746337
CPC 27200 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746225 LT746273 LT746273 LT746338
CPC 28189 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746226 LT746274 LT746274 LT746339
Neocosmospora sp. FSSC 9 CPC 27195 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746227 LT746275 LT746275 LT746340
Neocosmospora sp. FSSC 28 CPC 28194 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746228 LT746276 LT746276 LT746341
CPC 28195 Italy, Siracusa Citrus sinensis Dry root rot LT746229 LT746277 LT746277 LT746342

1 F: Fusarium. N: Neocosmospora.

2 T Ex-type strains; CPC: Culture collection of P.W. Crous, held at the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute (formerly CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre), Utrecht, The Netherlands.

3 CAM: Calmodulin; EF-1α: Translation elongation factor 1-alpha; IGS: Intergenic spacer region of the rDNA; ITS: Internal transcribed spacer regions of the rDNA and 5.8S region; LSU: Partial large subunit of the rDNA; RPB1: RNA polymerase largest subunit; RPB2: RNA polymerase second largest subunit; TUB: Beta-tubulin.

Morphological characterisation

All isolates were characterised based on their cultural and morphological characteristics following protocols described by Aoki et al. (2003, 2005). Colony morphology, pigmentation, odour and growth rates were evaluated at 3, 4 and 7 d on PDA and oatmeal agar (OA) (recipes in Crous et al. 2009) at 25 °C with a 12/12 h cool fluorescent light/dark cycle, while colony colours were rated according to Rayner (1970). Mycelial growth rates were evaluated according to protocols described elsewhere (Aoki et al. 2013), with some modifications; briefly, cultures were prepared on PDA and OA by transferring agar blocks of approximately 5 × 5 mm from cultures on SNA. These cultures were incubated in the dark at temperatures ranging from 6–40 °C in 3 °C intervals and growth rates were recorded after 1, 4 and 7 d. Radial mycelial growth rates were calculated as mean values per day by measuring the difference in colony size in 16 directions around the colony, all measurements were made in duplicate. Morphological observations included the presence and characteristics of sporodochia, sporodochial and microconidial size, shape and degree of septation; disposition of the microconidia; conidiophore length and branching patterns, nature of the conidiogenous cells and presence or absence of chlamydospores using synthetic nutrient poor agar (SNA; Nirenberg 1976) with and without sterilised pieces of carnation leaves (Snyder & Hansen 1947, Fisher et al. 1982), incubated at room temperature (approximately 20 °C) (Leslie & Summerell 2006), using the same photoperiod described above. Micromorphological characteristics were examined and photo-documented using water as mounting medium on a Nikon Eclipse 80i microscope with Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) optics and a Nikon AZ100 stereomicroscope, both equipped with a Nikon DS-Ri2 high definition colour digital cameras. Photographs and measurements were taken using the Nikon software NIS-elements D software v. 4.50. The length and width of at least 30 conidiogenous cells and 50 conidia were measured, and the mean values, SD plus maximum-minimum values were calculated. To facilitate the comparison of relevant morphological features of the micro- and macroconidia, composite photo plates were assembled from separate photographs using PhotoShop CS5.1.

DNA isolation, PCR and sequencing

Isolates were grown for 7 d on PDA at 25 °C using a 12/12 h photoperiod. Total DNA extraction was performed from fresh mycelium scrapped from the colony surface using the Wizard® Genomic DNA purification Kit (Promega Corporation, Madison, WI, USA), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Fragments of the calmodulin (CAM), the intergenic spacer region of the rDNA (IGS), the internal transcribed spacer region of the rDNA (ITS), a partial fragment of the large subunit of the rDNA (LSU) (spanning the variable domains D1 to D3), RNA polymerase largest subunit (RPB1), RNA polymerase second largest subunit (RPB2), the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) and beta-tubulin (TUB) genes were amplified and sequenced using PCR protocols described elsewhere (O’Donnell et al. 1998a, 2007, 2009a, b, 2010, Geiser et al. 2004) using the primer pairs CL1/CL2 for CAM (O’Donnell et al. 2009b), iNL11/iCNS1 and the internal sequencing primers NLa/CNSa for IGS (O’Donnell et al. 2009a), ITS4/ITS5 for ITS (White et al. 1990), LR0R/LR5 for LSU (Vilgalys & Hester 1990, Vilgalys & Sun 1994), Fa/G2R for RPB1 (O’Donnell et al. 2010), 5f2/7cr plus 7cf/11ar for RPB2 (O’Donnell et al. 2010), EF-1/EF-2 for EF-1α (O’Donnell et al. 1998b) and 2Fd/4Rd for TUB (Woudenberg et al. 2009). Consensus sequences were assembled from forward and reverse sequences using Seqman Pro v. 10.0.1 (DNASTAR, Madison, WI, USA). All sequences generated in this study were deposited in GenBank (Table 1). A further 585 DNA sequences representing 191 strains were retrieved from GenBank and included in the phylogenetic analyses (Table 2).

Table 2.

Origin, culture and sequence GenBank accession numbers of strains used for phylogenetic analyses.

Species name1 Strain number2 Country and source GenBank accession number3
CAM EF-1α ITS LSU RPB1 RPB2 TUB
F. acuminatum NRRL 36147 = CBS 109232 Unknown, human bronchial secretion GQ505420 GQ505452 GQ505452 HM347174 GQ505484
NRRL 52789 Taiwan, eggplant soil JF740857 JF740933 JF740933 JF741010 JF741183
NRRL 54210 Unknown HM068308 HM068318 HM068318 HM068328
F. agapanthi NRRL 54463T Australia, Agapanthus sp. KU900611 KU900630 KU900620 KU900625 KU900635
F. ananatum NRRL 22945 = CBS 184.29 England, Ananas comosus KR071762 U34562 JX171505
NRRL 53131 Italy, human HM347128 HM347198 HM347213
F. andiyazi NRRL 31727T = CBS 119857 South Africa, Sorghum bicolor soil debris KR071718 KR071651 KT154004 KP662894
F. anguioides NRRL 25385NT = ATCC 66485 China, soil in bamboo grove JX171624
F. anthophilum NRRL 13602 = CBS 737.97 Germany, Hippeastrum sp. AF160292 U61541
NRRL 25214 Germany, Hippeastrum sp. KU171416 KF466414 KU171676 KU171696 KF466436
F. armeniacum NRRL 6227 = ATCC 36781 USA, fescue hay JX171560
F. asiaticum NRRL 13818 = CBS 110257 Japan, barley JX171573
F. avenaceum FRC R-09495 USA, Lisianthus sp. GQ915502 GQ915486
NRRL 25128 Poland, Hymenoptera ichneumonidae  JF740751 JF740894 JF740894 JF740962 JF741079
NRRL 25129 Poland, Hymenoptera ichneumonidae  JF740752 JF740895 JF740895 JF741080
NRRL 25130 USA, egg mass from Lymantria dispar JF740753 JF740896 JF740896 JF741081
NRRL 54939 Finland, barley JX171551 JX171663
F. babinda NRRL 25539 = CBS 396.96 Australia, rainforest soil KU171698
F. begoniae NRRL 25300T = CBS 403.97 Germany, Begonia elatior hybrid plant AF160293 U61543
F. beomiforme NRRL 25174 = CBS 740.97 New Caledonia, soil JX171619
F. brasiliense NRRL 22743 Brazil, Glycine max EF408407 FJ919502 FJ919502 EU329525
F. buharicum NRRL 13371 = CBS 796.70 Iran, Hibiscus cannabinus JX171449 JX171563
F. bulbicola NRRL 13618T = CBS 220.76 Germany, Nerine bowdenii KF466327 AF160294 U61676 KF466394 KF466404 KF466437
F. burgessii CBS 125537T = RBG 5315 Australia, soil HQ646393
F. circinatum NRRL 25331T = CBS 405.97 USA, Monterrey pine tree AF158348 AF160295 NR120263 JX171510 JX171623 KM232080
F. coicis NRRL 66233T Australia, Coix gasteenii KP083274
F. concentricum NRRL 25181T = CBS 450.97 Costa Rica, Musa sapientum  AF160282 NR111886 U61548
F. concolor NRRL 13459T = CBS 961.87 South Africa, plant debris JX171569
F. culmorum NRRL 25475 = CBS 417.86 Denmark, barley kernel JX171628
F. cuneirostrum NRRL 31104 Japan, Phaseolus vulgaris EF408413 FJ919509 FJ919509 EU329558
F. denticulatum NRRL 25302 = CBS 735.97 USA, Ipomoea batatas AF160269 U61550
F. dlaminii NRRL 43665 USA, contact lens EF470035
F. ensiforme NRRL 28009 = CDC B-5543 USA, human eye DQ246869 DQ094351 DQ236393 EF470136
NRRL 32792 Japan, human DQ247101 DQ094561 DQ236603 EU329621
F. equiseti NRRL 20697 = CBS 245.61 Chile, Beta vulgaris GQ505594 GQ505683 GQ505683 JX171481 JX171595
F. euwallaceae NRRL 54723 = CBS 135855 Israel, beetle from avocado tree JQ038008 JQ038015 JQ038015 JQ038029
NRRL 54724 = CBS 135856 Israel, beetle from avocado tree JQ038009 JQ038016 JQ038016 JQ038030
F. flocciferum NRRL 25473 = CBS 831.85 Germany, Triticum aestivum JX171514 JX171627
NRRL 45999 = UTHSC 06-3449 USA, human scalp GQ505433 GQ505465 GQ505465 HM347195 GQ505497
F. fractiflexum NRRL 28852T Japan, Cymbidium sp. AF158341 AF160288 AF158304
F. fujikuroi NRRL 13566 = ATCC 38941 China, Oryza sativa AF160279 U34557 JX171456 JX171570
F. gaditjirri NRRL 45417 = FRC M-8754 Australia, Heteropogon triticeus KU171704
F. globosum CBS 429.97 = NRRL 26132 South Africa, Zea mays seed LT746230 LT746278 LT746301 LT746343 LT746348
CBS 430.97 = NRRL 26133 South Africa, Zea mays seed LT746231 LT746279 LT746302 LT746344 LT746349
CBS 431.97 = NRRL 26134 South Africa, Zea mays seed LT746232 LT746280 LT746303 LT746345 LT746350
NRRL 26131T = CBS 428.97 South Africa, corn seed KF466329 AF160285 KF466396 KF466406 KF466439
F. graminearum NRRL 31084 = CBS 123657 USA, corn JX171644
F. heterosporum NRRL 20692 = CBS 737.79 Ethiopia, Cynodon dactylon JX171479 JX171593
NRRL 20693 = CBS 720.79 Netherlands, Claviceps purpurea on Lolium perenne JX171480 JX171594
F. hostae NRRL 29889 = FRC 0-2074 USA, Hosta sp. JX171640
F. inflexum NRRL 20433T = CBS 716.74 Germany, Vicia faba AF158366 AF008479 U34577 JX171469 JX171583
F. keratoplasticum NRRL 22661T Japan, human eye DQ246846 DQ094331 DQ236373 EU329524
NRRL 28561 USA, human DQ246902 DQ094375 DQ236417 EU329552
NRRL 43433 USA, human eye DQ790561
F. konzum NRRL 53387 Brazil, Araucaria angustifolia
F. lacertarum NRRL 20423 = CBS 130185 India, lizard skin GQ505593 GQ505682 GQ505682 HM347137 JX171581
F. lactis NRRL 25200NT = CBS 411.97 USA, Ficus carica AF158325 AF160272 NR111887 U61551
F. lateritium FRC L101 = BBA 62455 Guinea, Coffea canephora AY707163
FRC L107 Zimbabwe, coffee AY707164
FRC L110 Papua New Guinea, coffee twig AY707165
FRC L112 Papua New Guinea, coffee twig AY707166
FRC L120 Unknown, coffee AY707167
FRC L200 Philippines, soil AY707168
FRC L375 Brazil, dry coffee berry AY707169
FRC L376 Brazil, coffee seed AY707170
FRC L402 Malawi, coffee bark AY707171
FRC L69 Zimbabwe, Coffea arabica berries AY707155
FRC L81 New Caledonia, orange twig AY707156
FRC L82 New Caledonia, orange twig AY707157
FRC L83 New Guinea, coffee berry AY707158
FRC L84 New Guinea, coffee berry AY707159
FRC L86 New Guinea, coffee berry AY707160
FRC L87 New Caledonia, coffee berry AY707161
FRC L95 Ethiopia, Coffea arabica AY707162
NRRL 13622 USA, elm tree JX171457 JX171571
NRRL 25197 = CBS 130184 Venezuela, Bambusa vulgaris HM347207
NRRL 25485 = CBS 746.79 New Zealand, Citrus sp. AY707172
NRRL 37021 New Guinea, coffee twig JX504710 HM068358
F. lichenicola NRRL 34123 India, human eye DQ247192 DQ094645 DQ236687 EU329635
F. lyarnte NRRL 54252 = CBS 125536 Australia, Sorghum interjectum JX171661
F. mangiferae NRRL 25226T = BBA 69662 India, Mangifera indica AF158334 AF160281 U61691 JX171509 JX171622 U61561
F. mexicanum NRRL 47473 Mexico, mango inflorescence GU737389
F. napiforme NRRL 13604T = CBS 748.97 Namibia, Pennisetum typhoides HQ412325 AF160266 U34570 HM347136 EF470117 U34428
F. nelsonii NRRL 13338 Australia, soil GQ505402 GQ505434 GQ505434 JX171447 JX171561
F. nisikadoi NRRL 25179 = CBS 742.97 Japan, Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis JX171620
F. nurragi NRRL 36452 = CBS 392.96 Australia, soil JX171538 JX171650
F. nygamai NRRL 13448T = CBS 749.97 Australia, necrotic sorghum root AF160273 NR_130698 EF470114 U34426
F. oxysporum NRRL 22902 = IMI 375335 USA, Douglas fir seedling root AF160312 U34566 U34424
NRRL 25387 = ATCC 26225 New Zealand, human HM347117 JX171512 HM347209
F. paranaense CML1830T Brazil, soybean root KF597797 KF680011
CML1833 Brazil, soybean root KF597798 KF680012
F. petroliphilum NRRL 22141 New Zealand, cucurbit AF178329 DQ094307 DQ236349 EU329491
NRRL 43812 = CDC 2006743705 USA, contact lens solution EF453054 EF453205 EF453205 EF470093
F. phyllophilum NRRL 13617T = CBS 216.76 Italy, Dracaena deremensis KF466333 AF160274 U34574 KF466399 KF466410 KF466443
F. plagianthi NRRL 22632 New Zealand, Hoheria glabrata AF178354 AF178417 AF178386 JX171614
F. poae NRRL 13714 Unknown JX171572
F. proliferatum NRRL 22944 = CBS 217.76 Germany, Cymbidium sp. AF160280 U34558 JX171504 HM068352 U34416
F. pseudocircinatum NRRL 22946T = CBS 126.73 Ghana, Solanum sp. AF160271 U34569 U34427
F. pseudonygamai NRRL 13592T = CBS 417.97 Nigeria, Pennisetum typhoides AF158316 AF160263 NR_137162 U34421
F. ramigenum NRRL 25208T = CBS 418.97 USA, Ficus carica KF466335 AF160267 NR111888 KF466401 KF466412 KF466445
F. redolens NRRL 22901 = CBS 743.97 Canada, plant seedling, Douglas fir tree KU171708
F. sacchari NRRL 13999 = CBS 223.76 India, Saccharum officinarum  AF160278 U34556 JX171466 JX171580
F. sambucinum NRRL 22187 = NRRL 20727 England, potato JX171606
F. sarcochroum NRRL 20472 = CBS 745.79 Switzerland, Viscum album JX171472 JX171586
F. scirpi NRRL 13402 Australia, pine nursery soil GQ505592 GQ505681 GQ505681 JX171452 JX171566
Fusarium sp. F201237 China, Zanthoxylum bungeanum KM527105 KM520371
NRRL 13444 Australia, corn soil GQ505403 GQ505435 GQ505435 JX171454 GQ505467
NRRL 25533 USA, Lymantria dispar JX171631
NRRL 26417 = CBS 544.96 Cuba, plant leaf litter GQ505776
NRRL 26756 South Africa, ornamental grass AF160307 AF158310 AF160322
NRRL 28578 = CBS 615.87 Cuba, Colocasia esculenta GQ505405 GQ505437 GQ505437 JX171526 GQ505469
NRRL 32175 Unknown JX171645
NRRL 34036 = UTHSC 01-1965 USA, human ethmoid sinus HM347173 GQ505483
NRRL 52714 Turkey, Eurygaster sp. JF740796 JF740911 JF740911 JF740977 JF741122
NRRL 52720 Turkey, Eurygaster sp. JF740802 JF740914 JF740914 JF741128
NRRL 52722 Turkey, Eurygaster sp. JF740804 JF740915 JF740915 JF740980 JF741130
NRRL 52727 Turkey, unknown JF740807 JF740917 JF740917 JF740982 JF741133
NRRL 52730 Turkey, unknown JF740809 JF740918 JF740918 JF740984 JF741135
NRRL 52933 Turkey, unknown JF740875 JF740937 JF740937 JF741019 JF741200
F. sterilihyphosum NRRL 25623T South Africa, mango AF158353 AF160300 F158305
F. stilboides NRRL 20429 = ATCC 15662 Nyasaland, coffee bark JX171468 JX171582
F. striatum NRRL 22101 Panama, cotton cloth AF178333 AF178398 AF178367 EU329490
F. subglutinans NRRL 22016T = CBS 747.97 USA, corn AF160289 U34559 JX171486 JX171599
F. sublunatum NRRL 13384T = CBS 189.34 Costa Rica, soil of banana plantation JX171565
F. succisae NRRL 13613 = CBS 219.76 Germany, Succisa pratensis AF160291 U34561 U34419
F. thapsinum NRRL 22045 = CBS 733.97 South Africa, Sorghum bicolor AF160270 U34560 JX171487 JX171600
F. tjaetaba NRRL 66243T Australia, Sorghum interjectum KP083275
F. torreyae NRRL 54149 USA, Torreya taxifolia JX171660
F. torulosum NRRL 22748 = NRRL 13919 Netherlands, Buxus sp. JX171502 JX171615
NRRL 52772 Norway, Galleria mellonella larva JF740840 JF740926 JF740926 JF741003 JF741166
F. tricinctum NRRL 25481T = CBS 393.93 Germany, culm base of winter wheat cv diplomat HM068307 HM068317 HM068317 JX171516 HM068327
F. tupiense NRRL 53984T Brazil, Mangifera indica GU737377 DQ452859
F. udum NRRL 22949 = CBS 178.32 Germany, unknown AF160275 U34575 U34433
F. venenatum NRRL 22196 = BBA 65031 Germany, corn JX171607
F. verrucosum NRRL 22566 = BBA 64786 Venezuela, Bamboo culm JX171613
F. verticillioides NRRL 22172 = CBS 734.97 Germany, corn AF160262 U34555 U34413
Fusicolla aquaeductuum NRRL 20686 = CBS 734.79 Germany, drinking water JX171590
Fusicolla sp. NRRL 22136 = IMI 297027 India, waste water JX171604
N. ambrosia NRRL 20438 = IMI 296597 India, Camellia sinensis AF178332 AF178397 DQ236357 JX171584
NRRL 22346 India, Camellia sinensis FJ240350 EU329669 EU329669 EU329503
N. falciformis NRRL 32757 USA, sand DQ247075 DQ094536 DQ236578 EU329614
NRRL 32828 USA, human DQ247135 DQ094594 DQ236636 EU329626
NRRL 43441 USA, human eye DQ790566
N. illudens NRRL 22090 New Zealand, Beilschmiedia tawa AF178326 AF178393 AF178362 JX171601
N. solani NRRL 22389 = BBA 67587 USA, Liriodendron tulipifera AF178340 AF178404 AF178373 EU329506
NRRL 32846 = FRC S-1278 USA, human eye FJ240410
NRRL 52778 Syria, Eurygaster sp. JF740846 JF740931 JF740931 JF741003 JF741172
NRRL 52790 Turkey, Eurygaster sp. JF740858 JF741011 JF741184
NRRL 66304ET = CBS 140079 Slovenia, Solanum tuberosum KT313611 KT313633 KT313633 KT313623
NRRL 32741 USA, human eye DQ247061 DQ094522 DQ236564 EU329608
Neocosmospora sp. FRC S 2432 USA, university building JN235756 JN235326 JN235326 JN235941
LEMM 110739 Colombia, human toenail LN827969 LN828118 LN828057
LEMM 111347 Colombia, human toenail LN827970 LN828119 LN828058
NRRL 22098 USA, cucurbit AF178327 DQ094301 DQ236343 EU329489
NRRL 22153 USA, cucurbit AF178346 DQ094302 DQ236344 EU329492
NRRL 22157 = ATCC 18689 Japan, Morus alba AF178359 DQ094306 DQ236348 EU329493
NRRL 22161 = ATCC 18692 Japan, Robinea pseudoacacia AF178330 DQ094311 DQ236353 EU329494
NRRL 22163 Japan, Xanthoxylum piperitum AF178328 AF178394 AF178363 EU329496
NRRL 22178 Venezuela, dicot tree AF178334 AF178399 AF178368 EU329498
NRRL 22230 = ATCC 44934 Japan, Morus alba AF178358 DQ094305 DQ236347 EU329499
NRRL 22354 French Guiana, bark AF178338 AF178402 AF178371 EU329504
NRRL 22400 USA, Ipomoea batatas AF178343 DQ094303 DQ236345 EU329509
NRRL 22570 Brazil, Piper nigrum AF178360 AF178422 AF178391 EU329513
NRRL 22579 Indonesia, bark AF178352 AF178415 AF178384 EU329515
NRRL 22586 = BBA 67586 USA, Robinea pseudoacacia AF178353 DQ094312 DQ236354 EU329516
NRRL 22642 = ATCC 38341 Japan, gill of Penaeus japonicus DQ246844 DQ094329 DQ236371 EU329522
NRRL 22782 Spain, human eye DQ246850 EU329670 EU329670 EU329528
NRRL 22820 USA, Glycine max AF178355 DQ094310 DQ236352 EU329532
NRRL 25137 Papua New Guinea, diseased cocoa pods JF740757 JF740899 JF740899 JF741084
NRRL 28001 USA, human DQ246866 DQ094348 DQ236390 EF470129
NRRL 28008 = CDC B-4701 USA, unknown DQ246868 DQ094350 DQ236392 EF470135
NRRL 28541 = UTHSC 98-1305 USA, synovial fluid DQ246882 EU329674 EU329674 HM347151
NRRL 31158 USA, human wound DQ246916 DQ094389 DQ236431 EU329559
NRRL 31169 USA, human oral wound KR673963 DQ094396 DQ236438 KR673999
NRRL 32301 = UTHSC 01-595 USA, human eye DQ246929 EU329677 EU329677 EU329567
NRRL 32437 = CBS 109028 Switzerland, human subcutaneous nodule DQ246979 DQ094446 DQ236488 EU329581
NRRL 32705 USA, human DQ247025 DQ094488 DQ236530 EU329594
NRRL 32736 USA, human eye DQ247056 DQ094517 DQ236559 EU329605
NRRL 32755 USA, turtle DQ247073 DQ094534 DQ236576 EU329613
NRRL 32770 USA, human eye DQ247083 DQ094544 DQ236586 EU329615
NRRL 32785 USA, human DQ247094 FJ240371 FJ240371 EU329618
NRRL 32821 = FRC S-1230 USA, turtle egg DQ247128 DQ094587 DQ236629 EU329625
NRRL 32858 USA, human DQ247163 DQ094617 DQ236659 EU329630
NRRL 37625 Netherlands, human FJ24035 EU329684 EU329684 EU329637
NRRL 43502 USA, human eye DQ790488 DQ790532 DQ790532 DQ790576
NRRL 45880 USA, Pisum sativum FJ240352 EU329689 EU329689 JX171655
NRRL 46703 Spain, nematode HM347126 EU329712 EU329712 EU329661
NRRL 46707 = FMR 8030 Brazil, human eye HM347127 EU329716 EU329716 EU329665
NRRL 52781 Benin, Hypothenemus hampei JF740849 JF741175
NRRL 54992 = UTHSC 09-1008 USA, Zebra shark KC808213 KC808255 KC808255 KC808354
NRRL 54993 = UTHSC 09-1009 USA, Zebra shark KC808214 KC808256 KC808256 KC808355
NRRL 62797 USA, unknown KF906129 KF906130 KF906130 KF906132
N. vasinfecta NRRL 22436 South Africa, soil AF178348 AF178412 DQ236359 JX171610
NRRL 43467 = CBS 130182 USA, human eye EF452940 EF453092 EF453092 EF469979

1 F: Fusarium. N: Neocosmospora.

2 T: Ex-type, ET: Ex-epitype, NT: Ex-neotype. ATCC: American Type Culture Collection, Manasas, VA, USA; BBA: Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Berlin-Dahlem, Germany; CBS: Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands; CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; CML: Coleção Micológica de Lavras, MG, Brazil; F: Laboratory of Zhi-Min Cao, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, China; FMR: Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Reus, Spain; FRC: Fusarium Research Center, University Park, PA, USA; IMI: CABI Biosciences, Egham, Surrey, England; LEMM: Laboratorio Especializado de Micología Médica, Bogotá, Colombia; NRRL: Agricultural Research Service Culture Collection, NCAUR-ARS-USDA, Peoria, IL, USA; UTHSC: Fungus Testing Laboratory, Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, USA; RBG: Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

3 CAM: Calmodulin; EF-1α: Translation elongation factor 1-alpha; ITS: Internal transcribed spacer regions of the rDNA and 5.8S region; LSU: Partial large subunit of the rDNA; RPB1: RNA polymerase largest subunit; RPB2: RNA polymerase second largest subunit; TUB: Beta-tubulin. Sequences generated in this study appear in bold.

Phylogenetic analysis

Sequences of the individual loci were aligned using MAFFT on the web server of the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/msa/mafft/) (Katoh & Standley 2013, Li et al. 2015), and the alignments were checked and manually corrected if necessary using MEGA v. 6.06 (Tamura et al. 2013). A first phylogenetic analysis was carried out using RPB2 sequences in order to assess the isolate distribution on the different species complexes of Fusarium and fusarium-like genera. To establish the identity of the isolates to the species level, different phylogenetic analyses were conducted first individually for each locus and then as multilocus sequence analyses using the following loci combinations: CAM, EF-1α, ITS, RPB1, RPB2 and TUB for members of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) (O’Donnell et al. 2000, Edwards et al. 2016); RPB1, RPB2 and TUB, for members of the Fusarium lateritium species complex (FLSC); EF-1α, ITS, LSU, RPB1 and RPB2 for isolates related with the Fusarium tricinctum species complex (FTSC); and lastly EF-1α, ITS, LSU and RPB2 for isolates belonging to Neocosmospora (formerly known as the Fusarium solani species complex, FSSC) (O’Donnell et al. 2008, Lombard et al. 2015, Chitrampalam & Nelson 2016). Isolates belonging to the FOSC were characterised based on their haplotype distribution using a two-locus dataset that included EF-1α and IGS sequences following the procedures and alignments of O’Donnell et al. (2009a). Phylogenetic inference was based on three independent algorithms: Maximum Parsimony, RaxML and Bayesian analyses. Maximum Parsimony (MP) analyses were conducted using PAUP v. 4.0b10 (Swofford 2002). Heuristic searches were carried out with 1 000 random stepwise addition replicates, with tree bisection and reconstruction (TBR) branch swapping, with all characters treated as equally weighted and gaps treated as missing data. Branches of zero length were collapsed and all multiple, equally parsimonious trees were saved. Tree length, consistency index, retention index and rescaled consistency index (TL, CI, RI and RC, respectively) were calculated. Statistical support for the branches was evaluated using a bootstrap analysis (BS) of 1 000 replicates.

RaxML (ML) and Bayesian analyses (BI) were run on the CIPRES Science Gateway portal (Miller et al. 2012) using RaxML v. 8.2.9 and MrBayes v. 3.2.6, respectively. Evolutionary models were calculated using MrModelTest v. 2.3 (Nylander 2004) selecting the best-fit model for each data partition according to the Akaike criterion. The characteristics of the different gene partitions and evolutionary models employed in this study are summarised in Table 3. For ML analyses the default parameters were used and BS was carried out using the rapid bootstrapping algorithm with the automatic halt option. Bayesian analyses included two parallel runs of 5 000 000 generations, with the stop rule option and a sampling frequency set to each 1 000 generations. The 50 % majority rule consensus trees and posterior probability (PP) values were calculated after discarding the first 25 % of the samples as burn-in. The resulting trees were plotted using FigTree v. 1.4.2 (http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/figtree). The individual gene datasets were assessed for incongruence before being concatenated by checking their individual phylogenies for conflicts between clades with significant MP, ML and BI support (Mason-Gamer & Kellogg 1996, Wiens 1998). Alignments and phylogenetic trees derived from this study were uploaded to TreeBASE (www.treebase.org).

Table 3.

Characteristics of the gene partitions used in this study.

Genus/species complex (SC)1 Locus2 Number of sites
Evolutionary model3
Total Constant Variable Parsimony informative
Overview tree RPB2 1559 882 670 607 GTR+I+G
F. citricola SC EF-1α 532 335 194 164 GTR+G
ITS 523 428 95 91 GTR+G
LSU 524 481 43 39 HKY+I
RPB1 605 419 186 141 SYM+G
RPB2 1501 1005 496 454 GTR+I+G
F. fujikuroi SC CAM 655 518 134 76 SYM+G
EF-1α 455 316 134 67 SYM+G
ITS 459 421 38 31 SYM+I
RPB1 1279 1038 241 141 SYM+I+G
RPB2 1640 1305 335 216 GTR+I+G
TUB 507 387 119 59 SYM+G
F. oxysporum SC EF-1α 621 483 138 97 NA
IGS 2220 1422 744 552 NA
F. lateritium SC EF-1α 562 435 125 85 GTR+G
RPB1 628 508 120 61 SYM+G
RPB2 696 540 156 77 GTR+I+G
N. solani SC EF-1α 328 211 108 66 GTR+G
ITS 503 372 127 101 GTR+I+G
LSU 482 439 43 35 GTR+I+G
RPB2 1648 1212 436 361 GTR+I+G

1 F: Fusarium. N: Neocosmospora.

2 CAM: Calmodulin; EF-1α: Translation elongation factor 1-alpha; IGS: Intergenic spacer region of the rDNA; ITS: Internal transcribed spacer regions of the rDNA and 5.8S region; LSU: Partial large subunit of the rDNA; RPB1: RNA polymerase largest subunit; RPB2: RNA polymerase second largest subunit; TUB: Beta-tubulin.

3 G: Gamma distributed rate variation among sites; GTR: Generalised time-reversible; HKY: Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano; I: Proportion of invariable sites; SYM: Symmetrical model.

Genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR)

In order to determine the recombination level between the species newly proposed here and its closest phylogenetic relatives, pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) tests were performed using the respective concatenated multilocus datasets (Bruen et al. 2006). The tests were conducted using SplitsTree v. 4.14.4 (Huson & Bryant 2006) as described by Quaedvlieg et al. (2014). A PHI value below 0.05 (Φw < 0.05) indicated the presence of significant recombination in the dataset. In addition, split graphs were constructed for visualisation of the relationship between closely related species.

Pathogenicity tests

Pathogenicity tests with the fungal species isolated from twig- and trunk-cankers were performed to satisfy Koch’s postulates. Six representative isolates were selected (F. citricola: CPC 27805, CPC 27709; F. salinense: CPC 26403, CPC 26973; F. sarcochroum: CPC 27921, CPC 28116). The isolates were inoculated on potted 1-yr-old healthy Citrus limon (‘Femminello Siracusano 2KR’), C. sinensis (‘Tarocco’) and C. reticulata (‘Tardivo di Ciaculli’) plants. Three plants for each isolate/citrus species combination were inoculated. Following the methods used in a recent citrus canker study (Adesemoye et al. 2014), five wounds per plant were made on twigs using a sterile blade. A 3-mm-diam mycelial plug from a 5–7-d-old culture growing on PDA was placed on each wound, and the inoculated area was covered with Parafilm® (American National Can, Chicago, IL, USA). The same number of wounds/plants were inoculated with sterile PDA plugs and served as controls. Inoculated plants and controls were incubated at 25 °C in moist chambers for 4 wk. Symptoms development was evaluated 4 wk after inoculation. In order to fulfil Koch’s postulates, the inoculated fungi were re-isolated from twigs showing lesions and the identity of the re-isolated fungi was confirmed by sequencing the RPB2 locus as described above.

RESULTS

In total 39 monosporic isolates resembling Fusarium spp. were collected from three Citrus species, i.e., Citrus limon, C. reticulata and C. sinensis. Most isolates were associated with dry root rot of orange trees, 10 isolates were recovered from twig- and trunk-cankers and five from twig dieback. The majority of isolates (35) were obtained from samples collected in Italy, while three and one isolate were recovered, respectively, in Spain and Greece (Table 1).

Phylogenetic identification

A first phylogenetic analysis based in RPB2 sequences was conducted in order to position the isolates in the treated genera and their respective species complexes (Fig. 1). The analysis included sequences from 102 isolates spanning the different species complexes of the genera Fusarium and Neocosmospora, and two outgroup taxa (Fusicolla aquaeductuum NRRL 20686 and Fusicolla sp. NRRL 22136). From the 38 isolates obtained from Citrus species 23 belonged to Fusarium and were distributed in three known species complexes, i.e., FFSC (two isolates), FLSC (seven isolates) and FOSC (six isolates), eight isolates clustered in two clades forming a distinct, well-supported, unnamed lineage sister to the FTSC. The remaining 15 isolates nested within Neocosmospora, previously known as the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC).

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

One of 36 Maximum parsimony (MP) best-tree phylograms obtained from RPB2 sequences of 99 strains from Fusarium and Neocosmospora species. Branch lengths are proportional to distance. Numbers on the nodes are MP and RaxML bootstrap values above 70 % and Bayesian posterior probability values above 0.95. Full supported branches and names of each species complex is indicated in bold. Isolates obtained from Citrus are indicated in red font. Species complexes not including Citrus-derived isolates were collapsed. Ex-type and ex-epitype and ex-neotype strains are indicated with T, ET and NT, respectively. The names of known species complexes are shown in bold. The tree was rooted to Fusicolla aquaeductuum (NRRL 20686) and Fusicolla sp. (NRRL 22136).

To further characterise the isolates belonging to FOSC, a haplotype distribution analysis was performed following O’Donnell et al. (2009a). The six Fusarium isolates from Citrus belonged to six different haplotypes. The genotypes of the isolates CPC 27194 and CPC 27196 were identical to the haplotypes 30 and 113 of F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum, while each of four isolates (CPC 27700, 27701, 27702, 28190) corresponded to new genetically distinct populations in FOSC (data not shown).

Seven isolates belonging to the FLSC were identified as Fusarium sarcochroum based on a phylogenetic analysis comprising EF-1α, RPB1 and RPB2 loci (data not shown, all trees are available in TreeBASE).

The phylogenetic analysis of the isolates that belonged to the FFSC included sequences from six loci (CAM, EF-1α, ITS, RPB1, RPB2 and TUB) and 42 isolates including the outgroup taxa (F. inflexum NRRL 20433, F. oxysporum NRRL 22902 and NRRL 25387), representing 33 taxa covering the three main phylogenetic clades known in this species complex (African, American and Asian clade sensu O’Donnell et al. 1998a) (Fig. 2). The two Fusarium isolates from Citrus (CPC 27188, 27189) clustered within the Asian clade of FFSC in a well-supported group sister to F. globosum and F. proliferatum. However, they were morphologically and genetically distinct from the latter species, as also confirmed by the PHI analysis (Φw = 1.0, Fig. 3a), and are described here as a new species, F. siculi.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

One of five Maximum parsimony (MP) best-tree phylograms obtained from combined CAM, EF-1α, ITS, RPB1, RPB2 and TUB sequences of 39 strains belonging to the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex. Branch lengths are proportional to distance. Numbers on the nodes are MP and RaxML bootstrap values above 70 % and Bayesian posterior probability values above 0.95. Full supported branches are indicated in bold. Isolates obtained from Citrus are indicated in red font. Ex-type and ex-neotype strains are indicated with T and NT, respectively. Names of newly proposed taxa are shown in bold. The tree was rooted to Fusarium inflexum (NRRL 20433) and Fusarium oxysporum (NRRL 22902, NRRL 25387).

Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

Splitgraphs showing the results of the pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test of newly described taxa and closely related species using both LogDet transformation and splits decomposition. PHI test results (Φw) < 0.05 indicate significant recombination within the dataset. a. Fusarium siculi sp. nov. in the F. fujikuroi species complex; b. Fusarium salinense and F. citricola sp. nov. in the F. citricola species complex; c, d. Neocosmospora croci and N. macrospora sp. nov., respectively, in N. solani species complex.

In order to establish the phylogenetic position of the eight Fusarium isolates that formed a distinct new lineage in the original RPB2 phylogeny, we carried out a more inclusive analysis, which included 3 685 bp from five loci (EF-1α, ITS, LSU, RPB1 and RPB2) and 41 isolates representing 19 phylogenetic species, covering four known related species complexes of Fusarium, i.e., F. chlamydosporum species complex (FCSC), F. heterosporum species complex (FHSC), F. incarnatumequiseti species complex (FIESC) and FTSC; a representative of a known related single lineage (F. nurragi) plus two outgroup taxa. MP, ML and BI produced topologically similar trees, of which one of the most parsimonious trees is shown in Fig. 4. The analysis supported six different highly supported lineages which corresponded to F. nurragi, four Fusarium species complexes, i.e.; FCSC, FIESC, FHSC, FTSC and a new fully-supported lineage, phylogenetically and morphologically divergent from its sister clades, which is named here the F. citricola species complex (FCCSC). Within FCCSC, the isolates from Citrus grouped into two distinct highly supported phylogenetic clades as also confirmed by PHI analysis (Φw = 0.8 in both cases, Fig. 3b). These two clades are described below as the new species F. citricola and F. salinense.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 4

One of 67 Maximum parsimony (MP) best-tree phylograms obtained from EF-1α, ITS, LSU, RPB1 and RPB2 sequences of 37 strains from Fusarium species. Branch lengths are proportional to distance. Numbers on the nodes are MP and RaxML bootstrap values above 70 % and Bayesian posterior probability values above 0.95. Full supported branches are indicated in bold. Isolates obtained from Citrus are indicated in red font. Names of newly proposed taxa are shown in bold. Ex-type are indicated with T. The tree was rooted to Neocosmospora solani (NRRL 52778, 52790).

The multilocus analysis of Neocosmospora encompassed 2 961 bp from four loci (EF-1α, ITS, LSU and RPB2) and 83 isolates spanning 47 known taxa and/or phylogenetic clades of this species complex (Fig. 5). The isolates from Citrus were distributed within four previously known clades: N. solani (six isolates), and the unnamed phylogenetic species FSSC 9 (one isolate), FSSC 28 and FSSC 15 (two isolates, each). Two isolates (CPC 27186, 27187) clustered in a new phylogenetic lineage sister to F. striatum, while three isolates (CPC 28191, 28192, 28193) formed a new lineage closely related to the phylogenetic species FSSC 26 and FSSC 27. The genealogical exclusivity of both new lineages was confirmed by the PHI test, showing no evidence of recombination (Φw = 1.0, Fig. 3c, d). They are described below as the new species Neocosmospora croci and N. macrospora.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 5

One of 1 000 Maximum parsimony (MP) best-tree phylograms obtained from EF-1α, ITS, LSU and RPB2 sequences of 83 strains from Neocosmospora species. Branch lengths are proportional to distance. Numbers on the nodes are MP and RaxML bootstrap values above 70 % and Bayesian posterior probability values above 0.95. Full supported branches are indicated in bold. Isolates obtained from Citrus are indicated in red font. Names of newly proposed taxa are shown in bold. Ex-type and ex-epitype strains are indicated with T and ET, respectively. The tree was rooted to Fusarium illudens (22090) and Fusarium plagianthi (NRRL 22632).

Taxonomy

Fusarium citricola Guarnaccia, Sandoval-Denis & Crous, sp. nov. — MycoBank MB820246; Fig. 6

Fig. 6.

Fig. 6

Fusarium citricola CBS 142421. a–b. Colonies on PDA and OA, respectively, after 7 d at 24 °C in the dark; c. colony on PDA after 7 d at 24 °C under continuous white light; d–e. sporodochia formed on the surface of carnation leaves; f–h. sporodochial conidiophores and phialides; i–j. aerial conidiophores; k–n. aerial phialides; o. aerial conidia (microconidia); p. sporodochial conidia (macroconidia). — Scale bars = 10 μm (scale bar in j also applies to k–n).

Etymology. Refers to Citrus, the host genus from which this fungus was isolated.

Colonies on PDA growing in the dark with an average radial growth rate of 2.9–4.7 and 2.5–4.2 mm/d at 21 and 24 °C, respectively (reaching 35–43 mm diam in 7 d at 24 °C). Colony surface pale luteous to pale yellow (orange to red when incubated in light), flat or slightly raised at the centre, radially striated, membranous to dusty, aerial mycelium scant or absent; colony margins irregular, lobate, serrate or filiform. Odour absent. Reverse pale luteous to straw. Diffusible pigment absent in the dark, an orange to red pigment sometimes present when incubated in the light. Colonies on OA incubated at 24 °C in the dark reaching a maximum of 60–62 mm diam at 7 d. Colony colour sulphur to pure yellow with white periphery, flat, radially finely striated, membranous and shiny to slightly velvety in the outer margins, aerial mycelium absent or scant, if present floccose, forming irregular rings at the periphery of the colony; margins regular, filiform. Reverse sulphur to pure yellow, without diffusible pigments. On SNA, hyphae hyaline, smooth-walled, 1–10 μm wide. Chlamydospores absent. Sporulation abundant from sporodochia, rarely from conidiophores formed directly on the substrate mycelium. Conidiophores in the aerial mycelium 4–50 μm tall, unbranched or sparingly branched, bearing terminal or intercalary monophialides, often reduced to single phialides. Phialides subulate to subcylindrical, smooth- and thin-walled, 4–22.5 × 2–4.5 μm, without periclinal thickening; conidia hyaline, ellipsoidal to falcate, smooth- and thin-walled, 0–3-septate, (6.4–)9.9–22.9(–32.6) × (3.1–)3.9–5.2(–6.5) μm, forming small false heads on the tips of monophialides. Sporodochia bright orange coloured, formed abundantly on carnation leaves or the surface of the agar. Conidiophores in sporodochia 20–62.5 μm tall, verticillately branched and densely packed, bearing apical whorls of 2–3 monophialides or rarely single lateral monophialides; sporodochial phialides subulate to subcylindrical, 10–18 × 2.5–4 μm, smooth- and thin-walled, sometimes showing a reduced and somewhat flared collarette. Sporodochial conidia falcate, curved dorsiventrally with almost parallel sides tapering slightly towards both ends, with a blunt to papillate, curved apical cell and a foot-like basal cell, (1–)2–4(–6)-septate, commonly with one or more empty cells hyaline, thin- and smooth-walled. One-septate conidia: (35.5–)36.2–39.9 × 4.1–4.8 μm; two-septate conidia: (33.7–)34–37.9(–39.9) × 4.4–5.7(–6.2) μm; three-septate conidia: (27.5–)32.3–37.3(–40.5) × (3.8–)4.2–5.1(–6) μm; four-septate conidia: (32.1–)34.4–39.8(–42.5) × (4.1–)4.6–5.4(–5.7) μm; six-septate conidia: 39–41.9(–42.5) × (4.4–)4.6–5.5 μm.

Cardinal temperatures for growth — Minimum 12 °C, maximum 30 °C, optimal 18–21 °C.

Specimens examined. Italy, Cosenza, Rocca Imperiale, from Citrus limon twigs, 9 June 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CPC 27067); Taranto, Massafra, from Citrus sinensis twigs, 9 June 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CPC 27709); Cosenza, Rocca Imperiale, from Citrus reticulata ‘Caffin’ crown, 10 Aug. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CBS H-23020, holotype, dried culture on SNA with carnation leaves, culture ex-type CBS 142421 = CPC 27805); Cosenza, Rocca Imperiale, from Citrus reticulata ‘Caffin’ crown, 1 Sept. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CPC 27813).

Notes — Fusarium citricola was recovered from diverse Citrus species with advanced canker symptoms in Apulia and Calabria, Southern Italy. The role of this species in the canker disease was confirmed by pathogenicity tests.

Fusarium citricola has similar morphological characters to F. salinense, with both species forming the new lineage here named FCCSC (see general notes under F. salinense). The former species can be distinguished by its slightly smaller sporodochial conidia, often with a gentle and symmetrical dorsiventral curvature, produced on somewhat larger sporodochial phialides, and its 0–3-septate microconidia (vs the often asymmetrically curved macroconidia and 0–1(–2)-septate microconidia in F. salinense).

Fusarium salinense Sandoval-Denis, Guarnaccia & Polizzi, sp. nov. — MycoBank MB820245; Fig. 7

Fig. 7.

Fig. 7

Fusarium salinense CBS 142420. a–b. Colonies on PDA and OA, respectively, after 7 d at 24 °C in the dark; c. colony on PDA after 7 d at 24 °C under continuous white light; d. sporodochia formed on the surface of carnation leaves; e. sporodochia formed on the agar surface; f–g. sporodochial conidiophores; h. aerial phialides; i. aerial conidia (microconidia); j. sporodochial conidia (macroconidia). — Scale bars = 10 μm.

Etymology. Refers to Salina, one of the Aeolian Islands, in the north-eastern coast of Sicily, where the ex-type strain of this fungus was collected.

Colonies on PDA growing in the dark with an average radial growth rate of 3.1–4.7 and 2.8–5.2 mm/d at 21 and 24 °C, respectively (reaching 39–43 mm diam in 7 d at 24 °C). Colony surface pale luteous to sulphur yellow with white to pale luteous margins, flat, velvety to felty with abundant floccose aerial mycelium; colony margins irregular, undulate to lobate. Odour strongly mouldy. Reverse pale luteous to orange toward the centre of the colony. Yellow diffusible pigment sometimes present, while red colonies and diffusible pigments occur when incubated in light. Colonies on OA incubated at 24 °C in the dark reaching a maximum of 65–70 mm diam in 7 d. Colony colour pale luteous, flat, membranous to slightly velvety or cottony, aerial mycelium scarce or absent; margins regular, filiform. Reverse pale luteous without diffusible pigments. On SNA, growth almost entirely pionnotal; hyphae hyaline, smooth-walled, 1–10 μm wide. Chlamydospores absent, but rounded, thin-walled hyphal swellings sometimes present in old cultures. Sporulation abundant from sporodochia, rarely from conidiophores formed directly on the substrate mycelium. Conidiophores in the aerial mycelium 25–150 μm tall, irregularly branched, bearing terminal or lateral monophialides; phialides subulate, ampulliform, subcylindrical to doliiform, smooth- and thin-walled, often reduced to small phialidic pegs, 7.5–23 × 2.5–5 μm, without periclinal thickening; collarettes small and barely visible or lacking; conidia hyaline, oval, ellipsoidal to falcate, smooth- and thin-walled, 0–1(–2)-septate, (4.7–)9.2–17.2(–23) × (2.8–)4–5.5(–7) μm, single or forming small false heads. Sporodochia flesh, salmon to orange coloured, formed abundantly on the surface of the agar and on carnation leaves. Conidiophores in sporodochia 42.5–106 μm tall, densely and irregularly branched, often bi- or tri-verticillately, sometimes slightly stipitate, bearing 1–2 terminal, rarely lateral monophialides; sporodochial phialides subulate to subcylindrical, 10–22.5 × 2.5–4 μm, smooth- and thin-walled, often with a minute apical collarette. Sporodochial conidia falcate, slender, with a gentle curvature and nearly parallel dorsiventral lines or an unequal curvature, slightly more pronounced in the upper part of the spore, tapering slightly towards the basal end, with a papillate and curved apical cell and a barely notched to foot-like basal cell, (2–)3–4(–5)-septate, often showing one or more empty cells, hyaline, thin- and smooth-walled. Three-septate conidia: (19.8–)30.7–41.3(–45.6) × (2.8–)3.6–5.2(–6.2) μm; four-septate conidia: (36.5–)39–44.5(–45.4) × (4.1–)4.4–5.5(–6.1) μm; five-septate conidia: (41.8–)42.9–48(–49.1) × 5.5–5.8(–5.9) μm.

Cardinal temperatures for growth — Minimum 12 °C, maximum 33 °C, optimal 21–24 °C.

Specimens examined. Italy, Sicily, Catania, Riposto, from Citrus sinensis ‘Valencia’ twigs, 2 Mar. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CPC 26403); Sicily, Catania, Riposto, from Citrus sinensis ‘Valencia’ twigs, 2 Mar. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CPC 26457); Sicily, Messina, Leni, from Citrus sinensis twigs, 5 June 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CBS H-23019, holotype, dried culture on SNA with carnation leaves, culture ex-type CBS 142420 = CPC 26973).

Notes — Fusarium salinense was isolated from two locations in close proximity in Sicily and Salina, one of the Aeolian Islands, which might suggest some level of geographical isolation restricted to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was a prominent pathogen, producing canker symptoms on three different Citrus species.

Fusarium salinense and F. citricola, also described here, constitute the Fusarium citricola species complex (FCCSC), characterised by abundant production of bright orange sporodochia, the presence of red pigments when incubated under continuous white light and the reduced size of its aerial conidiophores and phialides. Fusarium salinense produces sparingly branched conidiophores in the aerial mycelium, especially in young cultures, but its growth soon becomes almost entirely pionnotal, while some aerial conidiation can still be observed from reduced phialides or phialidic pegs. The latter feature is somewhat reminiscent of Bisifusarium which, however, differs in the absence of microconidia and sporodochia, its distinctly shaped, curved and short macroconidia, and by presenting a yeast-like growth on PDA, also being phylogenetically distant (Schroers et al. 2009).

Other closely related taxa include species from the phylogenetically allied FTSC from which F. salinense differs by its gently curved macroconidia, and the absence of pyriform microconidia and chlamydospores. The shape and size of the macroconidia and the characteristics of the sporodochia also aligns F. salinense with species in the FCSC. However, a clear phylogenetic separation exists between the two species complexes as well as clear morphological differences as the rounded, almost papillate apical cell in F. salinense (vs pointed in FCSC), the scant production of microconidia and the absence of chlamydospores.

Fusarium salinense and its closest phylogenetic ally F. citricola can be distinguished by the formation, in the former species, of shorter sporodochial phialides and slightly longer and robust macroconidia often with an unequal dorsiventral curvature.

Fusarium siculi Sandoval-Denis, Guarnaccia & Polizzi, sp. nov. — MycoBank MB820248; Fig. 8

Fig. 8.

Fig. 8

Fusarium siculi CBS 142422. a–b. Colonies on PDA and OA, respectively, after 7 d at 24 °C in the dark; c. sporodochia formed on the surface of carnation leaves; d–e. aerial conidiophores; f. sporodochial conidiophores formed on the surface of carnation leaves; g–i. aerial phialides and conidia; j. aerial conidia (microconidia); k. sporodochial conidia (macroconidia). — Scale bars = 10 μm.

Etymology. From Latin Siculi, ‘Sicels’, an old italic tribe that inhabited Sicily, and from which the name of the island has derived.

Colonies on PDA growing in the dark with an average radial growth rate of 5.1–6.1 and 5.5–6.8 mm/d at 21 and 24 °C, respectively (reaching 77–90 mm diam in 7 d at 24 °C). Colony colour peach to pale rose with saffron margins, flat and radially striated, membranous with scant loose aerial mycelium. Odour strong, mouldy. Margins filiform to arachnoid. Reverse at first white, turning pale orange, luteous to scarlet coloured. Colonies on OA incubated at 24 °C in the dark reaching a maximum of 75–79 mm diam at 7 d. Colony colour salmon to coral in irregular patches, flat, membranous, aerial mycelium scantly present as patches or absent; margins regular and fimbriate. Reverse flesh, coral to pale rust coloured with slight production of a pale rust diffusible pigment. On SNA, hyphae hyaline, smooth-walled, 0.5–11.5 μm wide. Chlamydospores absent. Sporulation abundant from aerial conidiophores or sporodochia. Conidiophores in the aerial mycelium or erect, 47–165 × 2–5.5 μm, simple or sparsely branched, often branching verticillately or less common sympodially, bearing terminal mono- and polyphialides, or more rarely intercalary phialides; phialides short acicular, subulate to subcylindrical, smooth- and thin-walled, 16.5–33.5 × 2–4 μm, without periclinal thickening or distinct collarettes, rarely proliferating subapically; conidia subcylindrical to clavate, often with a somewhat flattened base, straight or slightly curved, smooth- and thin-walled, 0(–1)-septate, (5.3–)8.5–12.3(–16.8) × (2.3–)2.9–3.5(–3.8) μm, arranged in long basipetal chains that quickly collapse into false heads. Sporodochia saffron to apricot coloured, formed on the surface of carnation leaves and often almost completely covered by aerial mycelium. Conidiophores in sporodochia 29.5–45.5 μm tall, branched, mono- or biverticillate, bearing 1–2 terminal monophialides; sporodochial phialides subulate, lageniform or cylindrical, tapering abruptly toward apex, 9–22 × 2–4.5 μm often with a minute collarette; sporodochial conidia falcate, slender, straight or slightly curved, tapering towards both ends, with a blunt and often curved apical cell and a foot-like to slightly notched basal cell, 3–5-septate, hyaline, thin- and smooth-walled. Three-septate conidia: (27.1–)34.4–47.3(–56.1) × (3–)3.3–3.8(–4.4) μm; four-septate conidia: (41.4–)43.4–49.6(–50.8) × (3.4–)3.6–4.1 μm; five-septate conidia: (48–)48.3–53(–53.1) × 3.4–3.7(–3.8) μm.

Cardinal temperatures for growth — Minimum 12 °C, maximum 36 °C, optimal 21–27 °C.

Specimens examined. Italy, Sicily, Catania, Paternó, from Citrus sinensis crown, 9 Mar. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CBS H-23021, holotype, dried culture on SNA with carnation leaves, culture ex-type CBS 142422 = CPC 27188); Sicily, Catania, Paternó, from Citrus sinensis crown, 9 Mar. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CPC 28189).

Notes — Fusarium siculi is phylogenetically related to F. globosum, a species known from maize and wheat from Africa and Asia (Rheeder et al. 1996, Aoki & Nirenberg 1999). However, the two species are morphologically clearly differentiated by the presence of clavate and globose microconidia in F. globosum. It is known that the incubation conditions can influence conidial development in the latter species, with the production of globose conidia being suppressed by continuous exposure to black light (Aoki & Nirenberg 1999, Leslie & Summerell 2006). We confirmed the production of globose conidia by all F. globosum strains available in the CBS culture collection, including the ex-type strain (CBS 428.97) under the incubation conditions used in this study. Additionally, F. siculi can still easily be recognised considering the degree of septation of its clavate conidia (0–1-septate vs 0–3-septate in F. globosum). Fusarium siculi also resembles other species in FFSC producing mono- and polyphialides, and clavate, 0–1-septate microconidia arranged in chains and false heads like F. fujikuroi, F. nygamai or F. pseudoanthophilum. Nevertheless, F. fujikuroi and F. pseudoanthophilum produce additional obovoid to pyriform microconidia, a character not seen in F. siculi, while the latter species can be distinguished from F. nygamai by the absence of chlamydospores. In addition to the morphological differences and the clear phylogenetic delimitation, F. siculi differs in its host association, with none of the species mentioned above yet reported from Citrus (Farr & Rossman 2017).

Neocosmospora croci Guarnaccia, Sandoval-Denis & Crous, sp. nov. — MycoBank MB820251; Fig. 9

Fig. 9.

Fig. 9

Neocosmospora croci CBS 142423. a–b. Colonies on PDA and OA, respectively, after 7 d at 24 °C in the dark; c–d. sporodochia formed on the surface of carnation leaves; e–h. aerial conidiophores; i–j. sporodochial conidiophores and phialides; k–l. chlamydospores; m–o, aerial phialides and conidia; p. aerial conidia (microconidia); q. sporodochial conidia (macroconidia). — Scale bars: k, l = 5 μm, all others = 10 μm.

Etymology. From Latin crocum ‘saffron’, referring to the production of red diffusible pigments at high temperatures.

Colonies on PDA growing in the dark with an average radial growth rate of 2.5–3.8 and 2–4.8 mm/d at 21 and 24 °C, respectively (reaching 52–54 mm diam in 7 d at 24 °C). Colony colour at first white, becoming straw to pale buff; flat, at first membranous, becoming felty with scant aerial mycelium; margins regular and fimbriate; odour absent. Reverse white to straw coloured without diffusible pigments. A slight production of a pale saffron to saffron diffusible pigment may occur when incubated in the dark at 36 °C. Colonies on OA incubated at 24 °C in the dark reaching a maximum of 33–37 mm diam at 7 d. Colony colour at first white, becoming straw, flat, membranous and shiny, aerial mycelium absent; margins regular and fimbriate. Reverse white to pale luteous, without diffusible pigments. On SNA, hyphae hyaline, smooth-walled, 0.5–12 μm wide. Chlamydospores scarcely produced in hyphae, subglobose to globose, hyaline to subhyaline and smooth-walled, terminal and intercalary, often in pairs or in chains, 5–9.5 μm diam. Sporulation abundant from erect conidiophores formed on the agar surface or aggregated in sporodochia. Conidiophores in the aerial mycelium 54.5–94 × 3.5–5.5 μm, mostly unbranched, rarely basally dichotomously branched, forming monophialides on the apices; phialides slender, subulate to subcylindrical, monophialidic, smooth- and thin-walled, 18–63.5 × 2–5 μm, with slight periclinal thickening at the tip and a short flared apical collarette; conidia of two types: a) obovoid, ellipsoidal to cylindrical, sometimes gently curved becoming reniform to allantoid, hyaline, smooth and thin-walled, 0–1(–3)-septate, (5.2–)7.2–17.2(–33.9) × (2.4–)3.2–4.8(–6.5) μm, arranged in slimy heads at the tip of phialides; and b) cylindrical to falcate, formed on the agar surface and morphologically indistinguishable from sporodochial conidia. Sporodochia cream coloured, scantly produced on the surface of carnation leaves. Conidiophores in sporodochia 30–82 μm tall, irregularly branched, short stipitate, bearing terminal monophialides; sporodochial phialides subulate to subcylindrical, smooth- and thin-walled, 11.5–27.5 × 3.5–5.5 μm, with periclinal thickening and a small, flared collarette; sporodochial conidia cylindrical to falcate, gently curved with nearly symmetrical dorsal and ventral lines or slightly wider at the middle or apical part, typically with a blunt and almost rounded apical cell and a barely notched foot cell, 3–5-septate, hyaline, thick- and smooth-walled. Three-septate conidia: (32.7–)33.4–43.8(–52.6) × (5.3–)5.4–6(–6.2) μm; four-septate conidia: (42.9–)46.9–53.7(–56.2) × (5.3–)5.6–6.2(–6.8) μm; five-septate conidia: (47.8–)51.7–60.5(–65.3) × (5–)5.7–6.3(–6.6) μm.

Cardinal temperatures for growth — Minimum 9 °C, maximum 36 °C, optimal 24–30 °C.

Specimens examined. Italy, Sicily, Catania, Paternó, from Citrus sinensis crown, 9 Mar. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CBS H-23022, holotype, dried culture on SNA with carnation leaves, culture ex-type CBS 142423 = CPC 27186); Sicily, Catania, Paternó, from Citrus sinensis crown, 9 Mar. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CPC 27187).

Notes — Neocosmospora croci belongs to clade 3 of Neocosmospora, a group including important plant pathogens and human and animal opportunistic parasites (O’Donnell et al. 2008, Schroers et al. 2016). It matches in all aspects with the morphological characteristics of the Neocosmospora (Fusarium) solani species complex, known to include several cryptic species with overlapping morphological traits (Schroers et al. 2016). However, N. croci can be distinguished from N. solani s.str. by the slower growth rates on artificial media, the presence of a saffron diffusible pigment when incubated on PDA at 36 °C and its somewhat reduced conidiophores (54.5–94 × 3.5–5.5 μm vs (27–)67–123(–230) × (2–)3.5–5(–7) μm in N. solani) (Schroers et al. 2016).

Neocosmospora macrospora Sandoval-Denis, Guarnaccia & Polizzi, sp. nov. — MycoBank MB820253; Fig. 10

Fig. 10.

Fig. 10

Neocosmospora macrospora CBS 142424. a–b. Colonies on PDA and OA, respectively, after 7 d at 24 °C in the dark; c–e. sporodochia formed on the surface of carnation leaves; f–i. aerial conidiophores; j. sporodochial conidiophores and phialides; k. chlamydospores; l–n. aerial phialides and conidia; o. aerial conidia (microconidia); p. sporodochial conidia (macroconidia). — Scale bars: k = 5 μm, all others = 10 μm.

Etymology. Refers to the large macroconidia produced by this species.

Colonies on PDA growing in the dark with an average radial growth rate of 2.5–5 and 3–6.1 mm/d at 21 and 24 °C, respectively (reaching 66–70 mm diam in 7 d at 24 °C). Colony colour at first white, becoming pale grey to pale buff with scarce interleaved red coloured hyphae; flat to slightly umbonate, felty to cottony. Aerial mycelium abundant, loose to densely floccose; margins regular and fimbriate; odour absent or mouldy. Reverse white, pale yellow, straw, peach to pale saffron coloured at the centre, a luteous to saffron coloured diffusible pigment can be present when incubated at temperatures equal or above 30 °C. Colonies on OA incubated at 24 °C in the dark reaching a maximum of 60–68 mm diam at 7 d. Colony surface pale luteous, at first flat, membranous and glabrous becoming felty to cottony with the formation of an elevated marginal ring composed of white loose and floccose aerial mycelium; margins regular, fimbriate to crenate. Reverse pale luteous. On SNA, hyphae hyaline, smooth-walled, 1–10 μm wide. Chlamydospores can be formed in the hyphae, globose, subglobose to oval, subhyaline, smooth-walled, terminal or intercalary, solitary, in pairs or catenate, 5–8.5 × 4.5–8 μm. Sporulation scant from erect conidiophores or aggregated in sporodochia. Conidiophores in aerial mycelium 56.5–96.5 × 3–4.5 μm, mostly unbranched or sparingly and irregularly branched, forming terminal phialides; phialides subulate to subcylindrical, straight to flexuous, monophialidic, smooth- and thin-walled, 19–67 × 2–5 μm, with a minute flared apical collarette; conidia short obovate, clavate to cylindrical, straight or gently curved, hyaline or showing pale yellow intracellular inclusions, smooth- and thin-walled, 0(–1)-septate, (5.6–)6.6–9.9(–13.2) × (2.2–)2.7–6.3(–9.7) μm, arranged in slimy heads at the tip of monophialides. Sporodochia cream to pale pink coloured, produced on the surface of carnation leaves. Conidiophores in sporodochia 28–123 μm tall, densely and irregularly or verticillately branched, bearing 1–2 apical monophialides; sporodochial phialides short lageniform, subcylindrical to doliiform, 10–23 × 2–4.5 μm, often with periclinal thickening at the tip and a small flared collarette; sporodochial conidia cylindrical to falcate and curved with nearly symmetrical dorsal and ventral lines or finely tapering towards the basal and apical part, with a blunt to slightly papillate apical cell and a well-developed foot-shaped basal cell, 3–9-septate (commonly 7-septate), hyaline, thick- and smooth-walled. Three-septate conidia: (68–)72.1–77.1(–75.7) × 5.7–6 μm; four-septate conidia: (73.5–)74–83.9(–84.5) × 5.9–6.3 μm; five-septate conidia: (59.3–)61–76.6(–85.3) × (5.2–)5.5–6(–6.2) μm; six-septate conidia: (73.8–)74.5–81.4(–84) × (5.3–)5.6–6.3(–6.5) μm; seven-septate conidia: (72–)75.2–84.1(–89.2) × (5.7–)5.9–6.4(–6.7) μm; eight-septate conidia: (79.4–)81.9–86.3(–87) × (5.8–)5.9–6.4(–6.6) μm; nine-septate conidia: (86–)86.3–89.7(–90) × 5.4–6.1(–6.2) μm.

Cardinal temperatures for growth — Minimum 9 °C, maximum 36 °C, optimal 21–30 °C.

Specimens examined. Italy, Sicily, Catania, Guardia, from Citrus sinensis crown, 9 Mar. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CBS H-23023, holotype, dried culture on SNA with carnation leaves, culture ex-type CBS 142424 = CPC 28191); Sicily, Catania, Guardia, from Citrus sinensis crown, 9 Mar. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CPC 28192); Sicily, Catania, Guardia, from Citrus sinensis crown, 9 Mar. 2015, V. Guarnaccia (CPC 28193).

Notes — Neocosmospora macrospora was isolated from Citrus sinensis in Catania province, Italy. The new species is totally divergent from the traditional morphological concept of N. solani s.lat. (Wollenweber 1913, Wollenweber & Reinking 1935 Snyder & Hansen 1940), differing from most currently accepted taxa in Neocosmospora by the presence of large 3–9-septate (commonly 7-septate) sporodochial conidia. Other taxa of this complex producing long multiseptate sporodochial conidia are two species not yet formally transferred to Neocosmospora, ‘Fusarium’ ensiforme and ‘F’. eumartii; and N. pseudensiformis (Carpenter 1915, Wollenweber & Reinking 1925, Nalim et al. 2011). However, ‘F’. ensiforme and N. pseudensiformis produce macroconidia with up to seven and eight septa, respectively, while those in ‘F’. eumartii are commonly 5–7-septate, but rarely 8–9-septate (Gerlach & Nirenberg 1982, Domsch et al. 2007). In contrast, nine-septate macroconidia are a commonly observed feature of N. macrospora, being also longer (up to 90 μm long vs up to 81 μm long in ‘F’. ensiforme; and up to 85 μm long in ‘F’. eumartii and N. pseudensiformis).

Neocosmospora macrospora is also reminiscent of ‘Fusarium’ decemcellulare, particularly in the macroconidial features; however, the latter species produces aseptate microconidia arranged in long chains and an Albonectria sexual morph (A. rigidiuscula), being also phylogenetically distant (Gräfenhan et al. 2011, Schroers et al. 2011, O’Donnell et al. 2013).

Pathogenicity

The four tested isolates of F. citricola and F. salinense were pathogenic to the three Citrus hosts used. Monosporic isolations of the causal agent from the lesions had identical RPB2 sequences to those of the ex-type strains of F. citricola and F. salinense (CBS 142421 and CBS 142420, respectively). The inoculated twigs developed identical cankers to those detected in the orchards, thus fulfilling Koch’s postulates (Fig. 11). Canker and internal discolouration symptoms were observed corresponding to inoculation points. On the contrary, no symptoms were observed on control plants and on plants inoculated with isolates of F. sarcochroum. No evident difference in aggressiveness was observed among the isolates.

Fig. 11.

Fig. 11

Natural (a–c) and artificial symptoms (d–g) on citrus with F. citricola species complex spp. associated. a. Trunk canker; b. injured crown of orange tree sampled; c. canker on lemon twigs with gum exudation; d–e. external and internal canker caused by F. salinense inoculation; f–g. internal discoloration of twigs inoculated with F. citricola.

DISCUSSION

Molecular phylogenetic and morphological analyses were used to evaluate the diversity of Fusarium and fusarium-like species from Citrus in the Mediterranean basin, focusing especially on Southern Italy.

These fungi are well established in the Mediterranean environment in association with significant agricultural crop diseases (Wong & Jeffries 2006, Vitale et al. 2014). In Europe, different Fusarium species are reported as pathogens of citrus, i.e., F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. sambucinum and F. solani s.lat. (Malikoutsaki-Mathioudi et al. 1987, Polizzi et al. 1992, Yaseen & D’Onghia 2012). Citrus is the most important agricultural crop in Southern Italy, and is already compromised by a range of other fungal pathogens (Aiello et al. 2015), and fusaria represent a further serious threat to this crop.

Six Fusarium and five Neocosmospora species were isolated from symptomatic trees in three Mediterranean countries, all isolated from symptomatic Citrus tissues. However, considering the narrow geographic area studied, it is likely that many other species would also be isolated if a wider sampling area was surveyed.

Three of the species newly described here (F. siculi, N. croci and N. macrospora) and five known species (F. ensiforme, F. oxysporum, N. solani, and the unnamed phylogenetic species Neocosmospora sp. FSSC 9 and Neocosmospora sp. FSSC 28) were associated with dry root rot of orange trees in our survey. Of these, only F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum and N. solani s.str. were considered pathogens associated with this disease prior to the present study (Menge 1988, Adesemoye et al. 2011). Our results reveal a large diversity of Fusarium species spanning several species complexes, associated with dry root rot in a restricted area of Southern Italy, and major and minor Italian islands. Considering the uncertainty of a well-established method to artificially reproduce this disease (Graham et al. 1985, Dandurand & Menge 1993), the pathogenicity of these eight fusaria could not be tested in the present study. Nevertheless, we demonstrated their ability to produce cankers on Citrus sinensis stem tissues. Further surveys in other citrus-producing areas of the globe, more Fusarium isolations and studies on pathogenicity in association with abiotic factors, should be performed.

Fusarium sarcochroum was isolated from lemon and mandarin twigs showing dieback, being found on citrus for the first time in Italy and Spain in the present study; though, it was already reported from Greece (Pantidou 1973). We confirm the ability of this species to colonise several Citrus spp. as endophyte. However, even though F. sarcochroum, F. citricola and F. salinense were recovered from citrus cankers, we were able to confirm pathogenicity on multiple hosts only for the latter two species. Fusarium salinense is described in the present study as causing cankers on twigs of C. sinensis in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands, while F. citricola was recovered in other southern regions of Italy, on multiple Citrus spp., causing cankers on different woody organs of these plant hosts. These results suggest a geographical distinction between the species. However, more surveys are needed to clarify their host specificity. Furthermore, these species can be added to other citrus canker causing pathogens reported worldwide (Adesemoye et al. 2014, Mayorquin et al. 2016).

The results of our molecular analyses indicate that the two new species, F. citricola and F. salinense, not only represent new taxa but constitute a novel lineage in Fusarium, closely related to the FTSC, here designated as FCCSC. The reduced production of aerial microconidia on short phialides or phialidic pegs, the abundant bright orange sporodochia and the shape of its sporodochial conidia are characters that compare FCCSC morphologically with other species complexes in Fusarium such as the FCSC, the F. graminearum species complex (FGSC) or the Fusarium sambucinum species complex (FSASC). However, clear differences do exist, particularly in the robustness, degree of septation and curvature of the macroconidia, while microconidia are always lacking in FGSC and are an uncommon feature in FSASC. Species in FTSC, the closest phylogenetic relatives, share similar cultural characteristics with FCCSC like the production of red pigments on PDA; nevertheless, the newly proposed species do not produce pyriform conidia or chlamydospores as many of the currently described species in FTSC, which also with the exception of F. torulosum, are characterised by the production of strongly curved to lunate conidia with pointed ends, differing from the gently curved conidia in FCCSC. In addition to the morphological traits, species in the new lineage show considerable ecological differences allowing for its clear delimitation. Both species in this complex seemed to be confined to particular geographical regions in Italy. Fusarium salinense was isolated from two different locations in Sicily and Salina (Aeolian Islands), from the same host in two independent collections, and was demonstrated to be pathogenic to Citrus, as supported by our pathogenicity tests. Fusarium citricola, however, was isolated from two regions in southern continental Italy, also appearing to be a prominent canker pathogen on many different Citrus species. In contrast, species in FTSC are common in temperate areas where they are mostly weak pathogens causing foot and root rot of cereals (Yli-Mattila et al. 2002, Leslie & Summerell 2006). Some species in FTSC have been reported previously from Citrus in Asia and USA, like F. acuminatum and F. avenaceum (Gerlach & Ershad 1970, Tai 1979, French 1987, 1989); however, there is no certainty about their true pathogenicity to this host, while the identity of the isolates has been confirmed by DNA sequencing for only a limited number of cases (Nalim et al. 2009).

Although F. siculi was isolated from symptomatic crowns of Citrus sinensis, we were unable to confirm its pathogenicity to this host given the difficulties in replicating disease symptoms. Fusarium siculi is nested within the FFSC, a species-rich complex that includes many species of economic significance, mycotoxigenic species and agent of plant disease mostly related to graminicolous plants and soil, but also includes important tree pathogenic species affecting woody organs, such as Fusarium circinatum, agent of pitch canker of Pinus spp. (Nirenberg & O’Donnell 1998, Herron et al. 2015). Reports from Citrus spp. are scarce with only F. proliferatum reported from fruit rot in Asia and associated with dry root rot (Hyun et al. 2000, Adesemoye et al. 2011, Farr & Rossman 2017). Further testing is needed to confirm the ecological relevance of the new species.

The recent works by Gräfenhan et al. (2011) and Lombard et al. (2015) and the resulting segregation of Fusarium has been controversial in the sense that it excludes many agricultural and medically important species from Fusarium, particularly those belonging to the F. solani and F. dimerum species complexes, a move which could bring confusion to the Fusarium research community (Geiser et al. 2013, Aoki et al. 2014). However, despite the practical considerations, splitting the genus seem justified phylogenetically and morphologically (Gräfenhan et al. 2011, Geiser et al. 2013, O’Donnell et al. 2013, Aoki et al. 2014, Lombard et al. 2015). Here, two new saprophytic species are described in Neocosmospora. Neocosmospora croci, although phylogenetically well defined, is difficult to distinguish morphologically from N. solani s.str. (Schroers et al. 2016). This reflects the limitations of the morphological species recognition criteria in this genus, known to include at least 60 narrowly defined phylogenetic species, distributed into three main clades, for which distinct morphological traits are minimal or absent (O’Donnell et al. 2008, Geiser et al. 2013).

The present study introduces new insights into the biodiversity of Fusarium and Neocosmospora species associated with Citrus in Europe. Surprisingly, a remarkable diversity of Fusarium and Neocosmospora species was found in a somewhat reduced sampling area. Furthermore, five new species were described, two of them belonging to a new, undescribed lineage in Fusarium, with demonstrated pathogenicity to Citrus. This shows that despite the worldwide distribution of Citrus, and previous knowledge about its associated microbes, the fungal species-richness in Citrus spp. is still underestimated. More studies are therefore needed on these new taxa in order to elucidate their host range, specificity, and global distribution, as well as their potential impact on the Citrus industry.

Acknowledgments

We thank Kerry O’Donnell (Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois) for kindly providing sequence datasets used in this article, including unpublished sequences. We also thank Ewald Groenewald for his assistance constructing the phylogenies. Keith A. Seifert and Brett A. Summerell are thanked for their valuable comments and corrections on the manuscript.

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