Cranberry black rot fungi: Allantophomopsis cytisporea and Allantophomopsis lycopodina

Abstract

The coelomycete genus Allantophomopsis was erected in 1925 by Petrak based on Sphaeria cytisporea, a species described by Fries in 1823 from leaves of Vaccinium vitis-idaea in Sweden. Apostrasseria, erected by Nag Raj in 1983, is based on Ceuthospora lunata, a coelomycetous species described by Shear in 1907 and one of the causal agents of black rot of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Examination of type specimens confirmed that Allantophomopsis cytisporea and Apostrasseria lunata are conspecific. A study of light and dark strains of the cranberry black rot fungus provided new evidence to support the recognition of two distinct species. The species are readily separated by cultural, morphological, and cytoiogical characteristics. Allantophomopsis lycopodina, comb.nov. is proposed for collections corresponding to the dark stain wife binu-cleate conidia 8–15 μm long. Allantophomopsis cytisporea is retained for the light strain with uninucleate conidia measuring 6–10 μm in length. Key words: Apostrasseria, Ceuthospora lunata, Vaccinium fungi.