2025/06/04 by Zhao-Yang Zhang, Xuelian Wu, Xiao-Xue Lv +8 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases #Plant Pathogens and Resistance #Powdery Mildew Fungal Diseases
paper · pdf · doi:10.3897/mycokeys.118.154217
openalex publication_date 2025/06/04 · openalex created_date 2025/06/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/21
Erysiphe sect. Erysiphe, a taxonomically significant group within the genus Erysiphe , is distinguished from other Erysiphe sections by its mycelioid chasmothecial appendages. While approximately half of the known species in this section occur in China, our preliminary assessments suggest that a substantial number of cryptic taxa remain undetected. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive phylogeographic survey evaluating 78 specimens collected from 18 provinces (municipalities/autonomous regions) across China. Our integrative approach combined morphological characterization with molecular phylogenetic analyses using five DNA loci: internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S rDNA, intergenic spacer (IGS), RNA polymerase II subunit 2 ( RPB2 ), and β-tubulin ( TUB ). This study led to the discovery of three newly described species ( E. clematidis sp. nov. on Clematis spp., E. limoniicola sp. nov. on Limonium spp., and E. paeoniae-suffruticosae sp. nov. on Paeonia × suffruticosa and two newly recorded species from China ( E. malvae on Malva pusilla and E. punicae on Punica granatum ). Notably, our phylogenetic framework demonstrates that incorporating IGS, RPB2 , and TUB markers substantially enhances species-level resolution and provides critical insights into cryptic speciation within powdery mildews.