Articles by Taxonomic Novelty

Molecular and morphological evidence for a new seed-destroying smut fungus, Microbotryum graecum on Stellaria media from Greece

Teodor T. Denchev, Cvetomir M. Denchev, Dominik Begerow & Martin Kemler
MYCOBIOTA 14: 1–9 (2024)
doi: https://doi.org/10.12664/mycobiota.2024.14.01
Published online: 30 May 2024
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The group of seed-destroying Microbotryum species on caryophyllaceous hosts includes ten species, among which only M. alsines, on Stellaria nitens from USA, is known on Stellaria. Recently, a specimen of Stellaria media from Greece, infected by a seed-destroying Microbotryum species, was found in a phanerogams herbarium. Based on distinct morphology and phylogenetic evidence, this fungus was considered to represent an unknown species which is described and illustrated as Microbotryum graecum. It can be distinguished from M. alsines by having smaller spores, fewer meshes per spore diameter, a different spore ornamentation, wider meshes, and higher spore wall muri.

Greece, Microbotryaceae, Microbotryum, new species, phylogenetic analyses, smut fungi, Stellaria media