Endophytic <i>Diaporthe</i> species from Brazil

Abstract

<b></b> <i>Diaporthe</i> species can inhabit various hosts with different lifestyles and live as endophytes, pathogens, and saprobes. Our study analysed 180 endophytic <i>Diaporthe</i> isolates from <i>Miconia</i> sp. in the Atlantic Forest, <i>Brosimum gaudichaudii</i> in the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado), and <i>Anacardium occidentale</i> in the Caatinga forest and Cerrado in Brazil. Based on multi-locus phylogenetic analyses [β-tubulin (<i>tub2</i>), internal transcribed spacer regions and intervening 5.8S rRNA (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (<i>tef1</i>), calmodulin (<i>cmdA</i>), and histone (<i>his3</i>)] and morphological features, we are introducing seven new species (<i>D. azevedoi</i>, <i>D. catimbauensis</i>, <i>D. coracoralinae</i>, <i>D. luizorum</i>, <i>D. pedratalhadensis</i>, <i>D. samambaiaensis</i>, and <i>D. vargemgrandensis</i>) and reporting seven known species (<i>D. fructicola</i>, <i>D. inconspicua</i>, <i>D. infertilis</i>, <i>D. paranensis</i>, <i>D. raonikayaporum</i>, <i>D. schini</i>, and <i>D. ueckeri</i>). We also included a morphological description of <i>D. infertilis</i> and synonymised <i>D. lutescens</i>, <i>D. pseudoinconspicua</i>, and <i>D. samaneae</i> under <i>D. inconspicua</i>; <i>D. neoraonikayoporum</i> under <i>D. raonikayaporum</i>; and <i>D. passifloricola</i>, <i>D. rosae</i>, and <i>D. vochysiae</i> under <i>D. ueckeri</i>, based on limited nucleotide differences among DNA sequence data and overlapping morphological features. Our results highlight the importance of including endophytic isolates in the phylogeny of <i>Diaporthe</i>, and show how these data expand the geographic distribution and host relationships of known species. <b>Citation:</b> Ferro LO, Bezerra JDP, da Silva TM, de Oliveira CS, Nascimento SS, Paiva LM, Fan X, Crous PW, Souza-Motta CM (2024). Endophytic <i>Diaporthe</i> species from Brazil. <i>Fungal Systematics and Evolution</i> <b>14</b>: 251-269. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2024.14.16.