Morphology and molecular phylogeny of <i>Cercospora dispori</i> from <i>Disporum smilacinum</i> and <i>Disporum viridescens</i>

The main objective of the present study is to compile and comprehensively reevaluate all known records of <i>Cercospora dispori</i> in order to establish a standardized framework for the accurate characterization and identification of this species. Nine isolates of <i>C. dispori</i> obtained from <i>Disporum smilacinum</i> and <i>D. viridescens</i> from various regions of Korea were analyzed. The morphological features of the fungus and isolated colonies were described and illustrated. Nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, including the protein-coding genes, such as actin (<i>actA</i>), calmodulin (<i>cmdA</i>), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (<i>tef1</i>), and histone H3 (<i>his3</i>), were determined, and a phylogenetic tree was generated from a multi-gene dataset of ITS+<i>tef1</i>+<i>act</i>+<i>cmdA</i>+<i>his3</i>. This study provides a more robust taxonomic placement of <i>C. dispori</i> and clarifies its phylogenetic relationships within the genus <i>Cercospora</i>.