The genus Erysiphe (including powdery mildew fungi only known as anamorph, Pseudoidium) is the largest genus in the Erysiphaceae and contains more than 50% of all species in this family. Little is known about the phylogenetic structure of this genus. We conducted a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the Microsphaera-lineage, a monophyletic group including species of sects. Microsphaera and Erysiphe, using 401 sequences of nuc ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and the 28S rDNA regions. This analysis gave many small clades delimited by the host plant genus or family. We identified two deep branches, albeit with moderate bootstrap supports, that divided the 401 sequences into three large groups. In addition, we identified four large clades consisting of homogeneous sequences of powdery mildews from a wide range of host plants beyond family level, namely, the E. aquilegiae clade, the E. alphitoides clade, the E. quercicola clade, and the E. trifoliorum s. lat. clade. Isolates from herbaceous plants were mostly situated in the E. aquilegiae clade and in Group III that was located at the most derived position of the Microsphaera-lineage. On the other hand, the basal part of the Microsphaera-lineage was occupied by isolates from woody plants except for E. glycines that was used as an outgroup taxon. This supports our previous hypothesis that tree-parasitic powdery mildews are phylogenetically primitive in the Erysiphaceae in general, and host-shift from trees to herbs occurred many times independently during the evolution of powdery mildews. Molecular clock analyses suggested that the divergence of the Microsphaera-lineage began ca. 20 million years ago in the Miocene Epoch of the Neogene Period.

Information on powdery mildew fungi (Erysiphales, Ascomycota) recorded in Western Polissya of Ukraine throughout the history of research in the region is provided. The list included in the article comprises 85 species of 7 genera of Erysiphales, namely 43 species of Erysiphe, 19 of Golovinomyces, 15 of Podosphaera, three of Phyllactinia, two of Neoerysiphe and Sawadaea, and one species of Blumeria. For the first time, 21 species are reported for the region: Erysiphe astragali, E. azaleae, E. howeana, E. hypophylla, E. lycopsidis, E. macleayae, E. prunastri, E. russellii, E. syringae-japonicae, Golovinomyces ambrosiae, G. asterum, G. bolayi, G. fisheri, G. riedlianus, G. verbasci, Neoerysiphe galii, Phyllactinia fraxini, Podosphaera aucupariae, P. phtheirospermi, P. prunicola, and Sawadaea tulasnei. The most common species were Blumeria graminis, Erysiphe alphithoides, E. aquilegiae, E. divaricata, E. ornata, E. polygoni, Podosphaera aphanis, and P. myrtillina. Erysiphe heraclei, Neoerysiphe galeopsidis, and Podosphaera erigerontis-canadensis were recorded quite frequently. Erysiphe arcuata, E. astragali, E. azaleae, E. baeumleri, E. circaeae, E. cruchetiana, E. cruciferarum, E. grosulariae, E. hypophylla, E. lythri, E. macleayae, E. palczewskii, E. penicillata, E. pisi, E. prunastri, E. russellii, E. vanbruntiana, Golovinomyces ambrosiae, G. asterum, G. circumfusus, G. cynoglossi, G. fisheri, G. inulae, G. riedlianus, G. verbasci, Neoerysiphe galii, Phyllactinia fraxini, Ph. guttata s.str., Podosphaera amelanchieris, P. aucupariae, P. balsaminae, P. macularis, P. mors-uvae, P. prunicola, and Sawadaea tulasnei are known from one or two localities, so they are considered as rare species in Western Polissya of Ukraine.

A phylogenetic analysis of the Erysiphe with uncinuloid ascoma appendages (Erysiphe section Uncinula, Erysiphales, Ascomycota) on Carpinus spp. was done using sequences of the rDNA ITS regions and the D1/D2 domains of the 28S rDNA. These results, combined with morphological data, revealed a complex consisting of several distinct taxa. These included the already described Erysiphe carpinicola on C. japonica distinguishable from the Erysiphe sp. on C. betulus and C. tschonoskii as well as the one on C. laxiflora. Thus, it was shown that Oidium carpini, described from Europe on Carpinus betulus, the powdery mildew with uncinula-like ascomata, recently found in Europe on this host, as well as an Erysiphe on C. tschonoskii in Japan, described previously as E. carpinicola, all belong to a single new species, named E. arcuata in this paper. As the powdery mildew on C. laxiflora was also distinct from other known species, it is named E. carpini-laxiflorae in this paper. The already described E. pseudocarpinicola and Erysiphe sp. on Carpinus cordata are two additional taxa, which are morphologically and genetically distinguished from the other species of Erysiphe sect. Uncinula on Carpinus spp.Taxonomical Novelties Erysiphe arcuata . Erysiphe carpini-laxiflorae

Phylogenetic relationships of the Uncinula lineage, which is the basal group in the genus Erysiphe, were investigated with 167 sequences of nuc ITS1-5. 8S-ITS2 and the 28S rDNA regions. Backbone tree analyses with six datasets and two tree-constructing methods revealed that the Uncinula lineage is divided into seven distinct clades. Clades 1-5 each contained a representative powdery mildew species, namely E. australiana in Clade 1, E. liquidambaris in Clade 2, E. adunca in Clade 3, E. fraxinicola in Clade 4 and E. actinidiae in Clade 5. Clade 6 comprises 71 sequences including the Microsphaera lineage and 17 species of the Uncinula lineage, such as E. carpinicola, E. carpinilaxiflorae, E. miyabei, E. glycines and E. necator. Topology tests supported the Microsphaera lineage forming a monophyletic clade in Clade 6, suggesting that Microsphaera-type appendages appeared only once in this clade to diverge into the Microsphaera lineage. Clade 7 consists of 72 sequences containing 30 species, including species of sects. Californiomyces and Typhulochaeta, four species from Nothofagus, species of sect. Erysiphe parasitising herbaceous plants belonging to the Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Saxifragaceae. Molecular clock analysis suggests that the major seven clades appeared 50-30 million years ago (Ma) in the Paleogene Period. The Microsphaera lineage may have split from the Uncinula lineage at the boundary of the Paleogene and Neogene, when appendages with dichotomously branched tips appeared. The clade of the species on Nothofagus split from the northern hemisphere species about 20-10 million years ago (Ma) in the Miocene Epoch, and host-shift from trees to herbs also might have occurred in this period.