Neofusicoccum

Crous et al., Stud. Mycol. 55: 247. 2006.

Classification: Dothideomycetes, Botryosphaeriales, Botryosphaeriaceae.
Type species: Neofusicoccum parvum (Pennycook & Samuels) Crous et al. Holotype and ex-type culture: PDD 45438 (Herbarium of Plant Diseases Division), ATCC 58191 = CBS 138823 = PDDCC 8003 = ICMP 8003 = CMW 9081.
DNA barcodes (genus): LSU, rpb2.
DNA barcodes (species): ITS, tef1, tub2, rpb2.

Ascomata forming botryose clusters, each comprising many ascomata, erumpent through the bark, globose, with a short, conical papilla, dark brown to black, smooth, thick-walled; ascomatal wall composed of dark brown thick-walled cells of textura angularis, lined with thin-walled hyaline cells of textura angularis. Asci clavate, 8-spored, bitunicate. Ascospores broadly ellipsoidal to fusoid, hyaline, smooth, aseptate, occasionally becoming 1-septate. Conidiomata globose and non-papillate, entire locule lined with conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells holoblastic, hyaline, subcylindrical, proliferating percurrently to form 1–2 annellations, or proliferating at the same level to form periclinal thickenings. Conidia ellipsoidal with apex round and base flat, unicellular, hyaline, old conidia becoming 1–2-septate hyaline, or light brown with the middle cell darker than the terminal cells. Dichomera synasexual morph: Conidia subglobose to obpyriform, brown, apex obtuse, base truncate, 1–3 transverse septa, 1–2 longitudinal septa, and 1–2 oblique septa.

Culture characteristics:

Colonies initially white to buff turning olivaceous grey becoming black with age, moderately dense, appressed mycelial mat with irregular very dense aerial aggregations, some conidioma covered by mycelium, immersed-erumpent, conidia and spermatia present. Reverse white to olivaceous black. Reaching 90 mm diam on half strength MEA in 3–4 d.

Optimal media and cultivation conditions:

Half strength MEA at 25–30 ºC.

Distribution:

Worldwide.

Hosts:

Plurivorous, mainly pathogenic on Anacardiaceae, Cupressaceae, Ebenaceae, Fagaceae, Juglandaceae, Lauraceae, Moraceae, Myrtaceae, Oleaceae, Pinaceae, Proteaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Vitaceae, families belonging to Lamiales and various other host plants.

Disease symptoms:

Fruit rot, wood canker, leaf spots.

Notes:

Neofusicoccum was introduced by Crous et al. (2006) to accommodate species morphologically similar to, but phylogenetically distinct from Botryosphaeria (= Fusicoccum). To separate Neofusicoccum from Botryosphaeria based solely on morphology can be difficult due to similar morphological characteristics. Therefore, molecular data are required to achieve accurate identification. One of the morphological differences between both genera is the presence of a Dichomera synasexual morph in Neofusicoccum. However, this synasexual morph is not produced by all Neofusicoccum species, or even all isolates of any given species. Moreover, dichomera-like conidia were reported in some isolates of Bot. dothidea (Barber et al. 2005, Phillips et al. 2005). Other morphological differences are the absence of paraphyses in the conidiomata of Neofusicoccum spp., while these have been seen in most of the currently accepted Botryosphaeria species, and the conidial L/W ratios being less than 4 in Neofusicoccum. Furthermore, the conidia of Neofusicoccum are more ellipsoidal than the fusiform ones of Fusicoccum s. str.

Species in Neofusicoccum are morphologically similar and hard to differentiate from one another. Neofusicoccum species are currently defined on the basis of conidial dimensions and pigmentation, pigment production in culture media and ITS sequence data. Taxa in some of the species complexes are defined exclusively on DNA sequence data (ITS, often together with tef1, tub2 and rpb2. In some cases, multigene sequence data are essential for species identification.

References:

Crous et al. 2006, Berraf-Tebbal et al. 2014, Yang et al. 2017 (morphology and phylogeny); Pavlic et al. 2009a (phylogeny); Pavlic et al. 2009b (morphology, pathogenicity and phylogeny), Phillips et al. 2013 (morphology, phylogeny and dichotomous key).
Barber PA, Burgess TJ, Hardy GEStJ, et al. (2005). Botryosphaeria species from Eucalyptus in Australia are pleoanamorphic, producing Dichomera synanamorphs in culture. Mycological Research 109: 1347–1363.
Berraf-Tebbal A, Guerreiro MA, Phillips AJL (2014). Phylogeny of Neofusicoccum species associated with grapevine trunk diseases in Algeria, with description of Neofusicoccum algeriense sp. nov. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 53: 416–427.
Crous PW, Slippers B, Wingfield MJ, et al. (2006). Phylogenetic lineages in the Botryosphaeriaceae. Studies in Mycology 55: 235–254.
Pavlic D, Slippers B, Coutinho TA, et al. (2009a). Multiple gene genealogies and phenotypic data reveal cryptic species of the Botryosphaeriaceae: a case study on the Neofusicoccum parvum/N. ribis complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51: 259–268.
Pavlic D, Slippers B, Coutinho TA, et al. (2009b). Molecular and phenotypic characterization of three phylogenetic species discovered within the Neofusicoccum parvum/N. ribis complex. Mycologia 101: 636–647.
Phillips AJ, Alves A, Abdollahzadeh J, et al. (2013). The Botryosphaeriaceae: genera and species known from culture. Studies in Mycology 76: 51–167.
Phillips AJL, Rumbos IC, Alves A, et al. (2005). Morphology and phylogeny of Botryosphaeria dothidea causing fruit rot of olives. Mycopathologia 159: 433–439.
Yang T, Groenewald JZ, Cheewangkoon R, et al. (2017). Families, genera and species of Botryosphaeriales. Fungal Biology 121: 322–346.

Table 12. DNA barcodes of accepted Neofusicoccum spp.

Species	Isolates¹	GenBank accession numbers²				References
		ITS	*rpb2*	*tef1*	*tub2*
Nm. algeriense	CBS 137504^T	KJ657702	-	KJ657715	-	Berraf-Tebbal et al. (2014)
Nm. andinum	CBS 117453^T	AY693976	KX464002	AY693977	KX464923	Mohali et al. (2006), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. arbuti	CBS 116131^T	AY819720	KX464003	KF531792	KF531793	Farr et al. (2005), Phillips et al. (2013), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. australe	CMW 6837^T	AY339262	EU339573	AY339270	AY339254	Slippers et al. (2004b), Burgess & Sakalidis (unpublished)
Nm. batangarum	CBS 124924^T	FJ900607	FJ900615	FJ900653	FJ900634	Begoude et al. (2010)
Nm. brasiliense	CMM 1285^PT	JX513628	-	JX513608	KC794030	Marques et al. (2013)
Nm. buxi	CBS 116.75^T	KX464165	KX464010	KX464678	-	Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. cordaticola	CBS 123634^T	EU821898	EU821928	EU821868	EU821838	Pavlic et al. (2009)
Nm. corticosae	CBS 120081^T	DQ923533	KX464013	KX464682	KX464958	Summerell et al. (2006), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. cryptoaustrale	CMW 23785^T	FJ752742	KX464014	FJ752713	FJ752756	Crous et al. (2013), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. eucalypticola	CBS 115679^T	AY615141	-	AY615133	AY615125	Slippers et al. (2004c)
Nm. eucalyptorum	CBS 115791	AF283686	-	AY236891	AY236920	Smith et al. (2001), Slippers et al. (2004a)
Nm. grevilleae	CBS 129518	JF951137	-	-	-	Crous et al. (2011)
Nm. hellenicum	CERC1947^T	KP217053	-	KP217061	KP217069	Chen et al. (2015)
Nm. italicum	MFLUCC 15-0900^T	KY856755	-	KY856754	-	Marin-Felix et al. (2017)
Nm. kwambonambiense	CBS 123639^T	EU821900	EU821930	EU821870	EU821840	Pavlic et al. (2009)
Nm. luteum	CBS 562.92^T	KX464170	KX464020	KX464690	KX464968	Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. macroclavatum	CBS 118223^T	DQ093196	KX464022	DQ093217	DQ093206	Burgess et al. (2005), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. mangiferae	CBS 118532	AY615186	KX464023	DQ093220	AY615173	Slippers et al. (2005), Burgess et al. (2005), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. mediterraneum	CBS 121718^T	EU04022	KX464024	-	-	Crous et al. (2007), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. nonquaesitum	CBS 126655^T	GU251163	KX464025	GU251295	GU251823	Inderbitzin et al. (2010), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. occulatum	CBS 128008^T	EU301030	EU339558	EU339509	EU339472	Sakalidis et al. (2011)
Nm. parvum	CBS 138823^T	AY236943	EU821963	AY236888	AY236917	Pavlic et al. (2009), Slippers et al. (2004a),
Nm. pennatisporum	MUCC 510^T	EF591925	-	EF591976	EF591959	Taylor et al. (2009)
Nm. pistaciae	CBS 595.76^IsoT	KX464163	KX464008	KX464676	KX464953	Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. pistaciarum	CBS 113083^T	KX464186	KX464027	KX464712	KX464998	Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. pistaciicola	CBS 113089^T	KX464199	KX464033	KX464727	KX465014	Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. protearum	CBS 114176^T	AF452539	KX464029	KX464720	KX465006	Denman et al. (2003), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. pruni	CBS 121112^T	EF445349	KX464034	EF445391	KX465016	Damm et al. (2007), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. ribis	CBS 115475	AY236935	EU339554	AY236877	AY236906	Slippers et al. (2004a), Sakalidis et al. (2011)
Nm. stellenboschiana	CBS 110864^T	AY343407	KX464042	AY343348	KX465047	van Niekerk et al. (2004), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. umdonicola	CBS 123645^T	EU821904	EU821934	EU821874	EU821844	Pavlic et al. (2009)
Nm. ursorum	CMW 24480^T	FJ752746	KX464047	FJ752709	KX465056	Crous et al. (2013), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. viticlavatum	CBS 112878^T	AY343381	KX464048	AY343342	KX465058	van Niekerk et al. (2004), Yang et al. (2017)
Nm. vitifusiforme	CBS 110887^T	AY343383	KX464049	AY343343	KX465061	van Niekerk et al. (2004), Yang et al. (2017)

¹CBS: Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands; CERC: China Eucalypt Research Centre (CERC), Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), China; CMM: Culture collection of Phytopathogenic Fungi “Prof. Maria Menezes”, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil; CMW: Tree Pathology Co-operative Program, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, South Africa; MFLUCC: Mae Fah Luang University Culture Collection, Chiang Ria, Thailand; MUCC: Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia. ^{T, IsoT} and ^PT indicate ex-type, ex-isotype and ex-paratype strains, respectively.

²ITS: internal transcribed spacers and intervening 5.8S nrDNA; rpb2: partial RNA polymerase II second largest subunit gene; tef1: partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene; tub2: partial β-tubulin gene.

Begoude BAD, Slippers B, Wingfield MJ, et al. (2010). Botryosphaeriaceae associated with Terminalia catappa in Cameroon, South Africa and Madagascar. Mycological Progress 9: 101–123.
Berraf-Tebbal A, Guerreiro MA, Phillips AJL (2014). Phylogeny of Neofusicoccum species associated with grapevine trunk diseases in Algeria, with description of Neofusicoccum algeriense sp. nov. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 53: 416–427.
Burgess TI, Barber PA, Hardy GEStJ (2005). Botryosphaeria spp. associated with eucalypts in Western Australia, including the description of Fusicoccum macroclavatum sp. nov. Australasian Plant Pathology 34: 557–567.
Chen S, Li G, Liu F, et al. (2015). Novel species of Botryosphaeriaceae associated with shoot blight of pistachio. Mycologia 107: 780–792.
Crous PW, Groenewald JZ, Shivas RG, et al. (2011). Fungal Planet description sheets: 69–91. Persoonia 26: 108–156.
Crous PW, Groenewald JZ, Wingfield MJ, et al. (2007). Neofusicoccum mediterraneum. Fungal Planet 19. CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Crous PW, Wingfield MJ, Guarro J, et al. (2013). Fungal Planet description sheets: 154–213. Persoonia 31: 188–296.
Damm U, Crous PW, Fourie PH (2007). Botryosphaeriaceae as potential pathogens of Prunus species in South Africa, with descriptions of Diplodia africana and Lasiodiplodia plurivora sp. nov. Mycologia 99: 664–680.
Denman S, Crous PW, Groenewald JZ, et al. (2003). Circumscription of Botryosphaeria species associated with Proteaceae based on morphology and DNA sequence data. Mycologia 95: 294–307.
Farr DF, Elliott M, Rossman AY, et al. (2005). Fusicoccum arbuti sp. nov. causing cankers on Pacific madrone in western North America with notes on Fusicoccum dimidiatum, the correct name for Scytalidium dimidiatum and Natrassia mangiferae. Mycologia 97: 730–741.
Inderbitzin P, Trouillas FP, Bostock RM, et al. (2010). A six-locus phylogeny reveals high levels of species diversity in Botryosphaeriaceae from California almond. Mycologia 102: 1350–1368.
Marin-Felix Y, Groenewald JZ, Cai, L, et al. (2017). Genera of phytopathogenic fungi: GOPHY 1. Studies in Mycology xxxx.
Marques MW, Lima NB, de Morais Jr MA, et al. (2013). Botryosphaeria, Neofusicoccum, Neoscytalidium and Pseudofusicoccum species associated with mango in Brazil. Fungal Diversity 61: 195–208.
Mohali S, Slippers B, Wingfield MJ (2006). Two new Fusicoccum species from Acacia and Eucalyptus in Venezuela, based on morphology and DNA sequence data. Mycological Research 110: 405–413.
Pavlic D, Slippers B, Coutinho TA, et al. (2009). Multiple gene genealogies and phenotypic data reveal cryptic species of the Botryosphaeriaceae: a case study on the Neofusicoccum parvum/N. ribis complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51: 259–268.
Phillips AJ, Alves A, Abdollahzadeh J, et al. (2013). The Botryosphaeriaceae: genera and species known from culture. Studies in Mycology 76: 51–167.
Sakalidis ML, Hardy GEStJ, Burgess TI (2011). Use of the Genealogical Sorting Index (GSI) to delineate species boundaries in the Neofusicoccum parvum-Neofusicoccum ribis species complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 60: 333–344.
Slippers B, Crous PW, Denman S, et al. (2004a). Combined multiple gene genealogies and phenotypic characters differentiate several species previously identified as Botryosphaeria dothidea. Mycologia 96: 83–101.
Slippers B, Fourie G, Crous PW, et al. (2004b). Multiple gene sequences delimit Botryosphaeria australis sp. nov. from B. lutea. Mycologia 96: 1030–1041.
Slippers B, Fourie G, Crous PW, et al. (2004c). Speciation and distribution of Botryosphaeria spp. on native and introduced Eucalyptus trees in Australia and South Africa. Studies in Mycology 50: 343–358.
Slippers B, Johnson GI, Crous PW, et al. (2005). Phylogenetic and morphological re-evaluation of the Botryosphaeria species causing diseases of Mangifera indica. Mycologia 97: 99–110.
Smith H, Crous PW, Wingfield MJ, et al. (2001). Botryosphaeria eucalyptorum sp. nov., a new species in the B. dothidea-complex on Eucalyptus in South Africa. Mycologia 93: 277–285.
Summerell BA, Groenewald JZ, Carnegie AJ, et al. (2006). Eucalyptus microfungi known from culture. 2. Alysidiella, Fusculina and Phlogicylindrium genera nova, with notes on some other poorly known taxa. Fungal Diversity 23: 323–350.
Taylor K, Barber PA, Hardy GEStJ, et al. (2009). Botryosphaeriaceae from tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala) woodland, including descriptions of four new species. Mycological Research 113: 337–353.
Van Niekerk JM, Crous PW, Groenewald JZ, et al. (2004). DNA phylogeny, morphology and pathogenicity of Botryosphaeria species on grapevines. Mycologia 96: 781–798.
Yang T, Groenewald JZ, Cheewangkoon R, et al. (2017). Families, genera and species of Botryosphaeriales. Fungal Biology 121: 322–346.