The Leptographium Complex Verticicladiella Hughes

Abstract

The type species of the generic name Vertkcicladiella Htmghes, Vs abietina (Peck) Hughes, is illustrated and redescribed. Six other species, four of which are new, are also included in this genus of hyphomycetes, which is distinguished from Leptograpkium by its ditkrermt method of conidiurn development. Species of Verticielndie%la are us~aally collected on, or isolated from, wood of conifers, and are often associated with bark-beetle attacks armd blue stai11. One of the new species secretes an antibiotic substance, and another causes a severe root disease in some species s f Pinus in the southwestern United States.

Taxonomy and phylogeny of the Leptographium procerum complex, including Leptographium sinense sp. nov. and Leptographium longiconidiophorum sp. nov.

“…1) included two species, L. procerum and L. profanum, and could be referred to as the North American-European lineage. Leptographium procerum was initially known only from North America (Canada and USA) (Kendrick 1962), subsequently it was found in other parts of the world, including Europe [e.g. UK (Wingfield and Gibbs 1991) and Poland (Jacobs and Wingfield 2001;Jankowiak and Bilański 2013a, b, c)], and Asia [e.g.…”

“…The holotype of L. procerum originates from P. resinosa in Quebec, Canada, while four of the paratype specimens are from Pinus resinosa from various locations in New York, USA. The remaining two paratypes originated from Pinus strobus in Ontario and pine in Sweden respectively (Kendrick 1962 Fig. 3 Mycobank MB 805970 Etymology Name reflects the exceptionally long conidiophores that distinguish it from all other species in the L. procerum complex.…”

“…One of the Leptographium species that has gained most attention in terms of research during recent years is Leptographium procerum, which was first described from Pinus banksiana, P. resinosa, and P. strobus in 1962 in North America (Kendrick 1962). The fungus was associated with a disease known as white pine root decline (WPRD) that resulted in significant economic losses in the Christmas tree industry in North Central and Eastern America (Lackner and Alexander 1982;Alexander et al 1988).…”

“…At present, the L. procerum complex includes eight species (Linnakoski et al 2012). Interestingly, apart from L. procerum (Kendrick 1962) and L. profanum described from USA, and L. sibiricum from Russia (Jacobs et al 2000), all other species in the complex have been described from East Asia (Linnakoski et al 2012). Leptographium pinidensiflorae was described from Japan (Masuya et al 2000), L. bhutanense from Bhutan , and L. sinoprocerum (Lu et al 2008), L. gracile and L. latens (Paciura et al 2010) from China.…”

Infection of Douglas-fir by Leptographium wageneri

“…pseudotsugae Harrington and Cobb, = Leptographium wageneri (Kendr.) Wingf., Harrington and Cobb 1984Kendrick 1962;Wingfield 1985), the agent of black-stain root disease, affects Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) throughout the western United States and British Columbia (Harrington 1988 and references therein).…”