available online at www.studiesinmycology.org STUDIES IN MYCOLOGY 75: 115–170. Species concepts in Cercospora: spotting the weeds among the roses J.Z. Groenewald1*, C. Nakashima2, J. Nishikawa3, H.-D. Shin4, J.-H. Park4, A.N. Jama5, M. Groenewald1, U. Braun6, and P.W. Crous1, 7, 8 1CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands; 2Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, 1577 Kurima-machiya, Tsu, Mie 514–8507, Japan; 3Kakegawa Research Center, Sakata Seed Co., 1743-2 Yoshioka, Kakegawa, Shizuoka 436-0115, Japan; 4Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea; 5Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 326, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AT, UK; 6Martin-Luther-Universität, Institut für Biologie, Bereich Geobotanik und Botanischer Garten, Herbarium, Neuwerk 21, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany; 7Microbiology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands; 8Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR), Laboratory of Phytopathology, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands *Correspondence: Johannes Z. Groenewald,
[email protected] Abstract: The genus Cercospora contains numerous important plant pathogenic fungi from a diverse range of hosts. Most species of Cercospora are known only from their morphological characters in vivo. Although the genus contains more than 5 000 names, very few cultures and associated DNA sequence data are available. In this study, 360 Cercospora isolates, obtained from 161 host species, 49 host families and 39 countries, were used to compile a molecular phylogeny. Partial sequences were derived from the internal transcribed spacer regions and intervening 5.8S nrRNA, actin, calmodulin, histone H3 and translation elongation factor 1-alpha genes.