Discovery of Thecaphora schwarzmaniana on Rheum ribes in Iran and Turkey: implications for the diversity and phylogeny of leaf smuts on rhubarbs

Expanding evolutionary diversity in the Ustilaginomycotina: Fereydouniaceae fam. nov. and Fereydounia gen. nov., the first urocystidalean yeast lineage

“…Molecular phylogenetic reconstructions inferred that, within the Ustilaginomycotina, this species resides in the Urocystidales, a distinct order currently including teliosporic species (classical smut fungi) parasitic on dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous host plants . In recent classification schemes (Begerow et al 2014), the order Urocystidales is split into five main lineages assigned to families: the Glomosporiaceae, containing the single genus Thecaphora with 63 species parasitic on dicotyledonous plants from 16 host families (Vánky et al 2008b;Vasighzadeh et al 2014); the Doassansiopsidaceae, including the single genus Doassansiopsis (Setch.) Dietel with 14 species parasitic on dicot and monocot plants from five host families ; the Mycosyringacae, containing the single genus Mycosyrinx Beck with four species parasitic on Vitaceae ; the Floromycetaceae, accommodating two genera, Floromyces Vánky, M. Lutz & R. Bauer with one species and Antherospora R. Bauer, M. Lutz, Begerow, M. Piątek & Vánky with 11 species, both parasitic on Asparagaceae (Vánky et al 2008a;Piątek et al 2011Piątek et al , 2013; and the Urocystidaceae, including seven genera: Flamingomyces R. Bauer, M. Lutz, M. Piątek, Vánky & Oberw.…”

“…One additional genus with one species was added afterwards (Vasighzadeh et al 2014), but still, the potential diversity of classical smut fungi in Iran is probably much higher. In contrast to the plant parasitic teliosporic species, the information on most of the remaining members of the subphylum Ustilaginomycotina occurring in this country is principally unavailable; the exceptions are studies on Pseudozyma fusiformata (Buhagiar) Boekhout as a biocontrol agent against Aspergillus flavus Link (AfsahHejri 2013), and studies on Malassezia species causing human skin diseases in Iran (Moniri et al 2009;Shokohi et al 2009;Hedayati et al 2010;ZareiMahmoudabadi et al 2013).…”

The first smut fungus, Thecaphora anthemidis sp. nov. (Glomosporiaceae), described from Anthemis (Asteraceae)

“…Coreopsideae, Millerieae, Polymnieae and Cynareae (subfamily Carduoideae) are also hosts of Thecaphora species. The species of Thecaphora on Asteraceae have not been studied by molecular phylogenetic methods, in contrast to species of Thecaphora on Caryophyllaceae (Vánky and Lutz 2007), Polygonaceae (Vasighzadeh et al 2014) and Oxalidaceae (Roets et al 2008, 2012). …”

Phylogeny and morphology of Anthracoidea pamiroalaica sp. nov. infecting the endemic sedge Carex koshewnikowii in the Pamir Alai Mts (Tajikistan)

“…in Europe and East Asia (Vánky 2012;Denchev et al 2013). However, recent molecular studies revealed that many morphologically defined polyphagous smuts and false smuts in fact represent complexes of host-specific independent cryptic or pseudocryptic species (Vánky and Lutz 2007;Bauer et al 2008;Lutz et al 2005Lutz et al , 2008Piątek et al 2011Piątek et al , 2012Piątek et al , 2013aSavchenko et al 2014a, b;Vasighzadeh et al 2014) and, therefore, Anthracoidea found on Carex koshewnikowii could be a species different than Anthracoidea sempervirentis. Thus, this study aims to resolve the systematic placement of Anthracoidea on Carex koshewnikowii using light and scanning electron microscopy and phylogenetic analyses using LSU rDNA sequences.…”