Two novel endophytic Tolypocladium species identified from native pines in south Florida

J M Soares; E Karlsen-Ayala; C A Salvador-Montoya; R Gazis

doi:10.3114/fuse.2023.11.04

Two novel endophytic Tolypocladium species identified from native pines in south Florida

Fungal Syst Evol. 2023 Jun:11:51-61. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2023.11.04. Epub 2023 Mar 17.

Authors

J M Soares^{1

2}, E Karlsen-Ayala^{1

3}, C A Salvador-Montoya¹, R Gazis¹

Affiliations

¹ Tropical Research and Education Center, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Homestead, FL 33031, USA.
² USDA-ARS, Sugarcane Field Station, Canal Point, FL 33438, USA.
³ Southwest Research and Education Center, Department of Soil and Water Sciences, University of Florida, Immokalee, FL 34142, USA.

Abstract

This study investigated the incidence and diversity of Tolypocladium within trunks of south Florida slash pines (Pinus densa). Thirty-five isolates were recovered from trunk tissue including living phloem, cambium, and sapwood. Two novel species of Tolypocladium (T. subtropicale and T. trecense) are described here based on morphological and molecular analysis of concatenated LSU, ITS, tef-1, tub, and RPB1 sequences. Our findings expand our understanding of the distribution, diversity, and ecology of this genus and confirm that it is widely spread as an endophyte across ecosystems and hosts. Strains collected in this survey will be used in future bioassays to determine their potential ecological roles as mycoparasites or entomopathogens. Citation: Soares JM, Karlsen-Ayala E, Salvador-Montoya CA, Gazis R (2023). Two novel endophytic Tolypocladium species identified from native pines in south Florida. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 11: 51-61. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2023.11.04.

Keywords: Hypocreales; Pine Rocklands; entomopathogens; fungal endophytes; new taxa.