Erysiphe punicae T. M. Achundov

Zhang, Zhao-Yang, Wu, Xue-Lian, Lv, Xiao-Xue, Liu, Tie-Zhi, Jin, Dan-Ni, Liu, Li, Wang, Shuang-Bao, Feng, Jing, Hsiang, Tom, Li, Yu & Liu, Shu-Yan, 2025, Discover hidden taxa of Erysiphe section Erysiphe fungi (Ascomycota, Erysiphaceae) based on morphology and multilocus phylogeny in China, MycoKeys 118, pp. 119-146 : 119-146

Erysiphe punicae T. M. Achundov , Novosti Sist. Nizsh. Rast. 24: 95, 1987.

Fig. 8

Description.

Mycelium epiphyllous, thin, in grayish white patches or effuse, later covering entire leaves, persistent; hyphae 3–4 μm wide; hyphal appressoria almost nipple-shaped, slightly lobed, usually in opposite pairs. Asexual morph: Conidiophores arising from the upper surface of the mother cells, erect, occasionally slightly curved in the center, about 64–108 × 4–7 μm long, foot-cells cylindrical, straight, occasionally slightly flexuous-sinuous, 29–53 (– 78) × 4–7 μm, followed by 1–2 usually shorter cells, significantly shorter than foot cells; conidia single, narrowly cylindrical, 21–36 (– 49) × 6–13 μm, length / width ratio 1.9–4.3, germ tubes subterminal, short, with swollen tips or lobed appressoria.

Host.

Punica granatum ( Lythraceae ).

Distribution.

Asia ( China and Iran), Caucasus ( Azerbaijan) and Europe ( Montenegro).

Material examined.

China, Yunnan Prov. • 1; Kunming City ; 25°3'30"n, 102°41'43"e; ca. 1900 m a. s. l.; 27 Jun. 2019, Shu-Rong Tang & Jing Feng leg.; on P. granatum ; HMJAU -PM 92219 . • 1; same locality; 11 Nov. 2019, Zhao-Yang Zhang & Dan-Ni Jin leg.; on P. granatum ; HMJAU -PM 92220 .

Notes.

Nearly all historical records of Erysiphe punicae are based on anamorphs ( Amano 1986), with only one specimen with chasmothecia identified in Montenegro ( Braun and Cook 2012), which has been sequenced (ITS + 28 S) and confirmed the position of this species within the E. aquilegiae complex ( Bradshaw et al. 2023 c). However, systematic verification remains critical as many anamorphic records may represent cryptic species or misidentifications within the complex. In 2023, E. punicae was newly documented on pomegranate ( Punica granatum ) in India by ITS sequence analysis ( Watpade et al. 2023). Our phylogenetically verified collections from Yunnan and Hebei provinces, China, showed morphological congruence with E. punicae ( HAL 2441 F) ( Bolay et al. 2021) and were supported by phylogenetic analyses (Figs 1 , 2 ). All E. punicae sequences were consistently resolved as a distinct, well-supported clade within the E. aquilegiae complex clade, confirming its taxonomic validity. This is the first reported occurrence of E. punicae in China, extending its known geographic range by both morphological and molecular evidence.

Figures

Figure 1. Phylogenetic tree of selected species within sect. Erysiphe based on the ITS + 28 S regions. Bootstrap values greater than 60 % for the maximum likelihood (ML) analyses are displayed followed by posterior probabilities ≥ 0.70 of Bayesian inference (BI) analyses. HT = Holotype; the color box indicates new species; bold font indicates the new species obtained in this study; blue bold font indicates new record species.

Figure 2. Phylogenetic tree of selected species within sect. Erysiphe based on the ITS + 28 S + IGS + RPB 2 + TUB regions. Bootstrap values greater than 60 % for the maximum likelihood (ML) analyses are displayed followed by posterior probabilities ≥ 0.70 of Bayesian inference (BI) analyses. HT = Holotype; the color box indicates new species; bold font indicates the new species obtained in this study; blue bold font indicates new record species.

Figure 8. Symptom and asexual morph of Erysiphe punicae on Punica granatum (HMJAU - PM 92219) A – C powdery layer on the leaves D hyphal appressoria E, F conidiophores G – I conidia J – N germ tubes. Scale bars: 10 µm (D, G – M); 20 µm (E, F, N).