<i>Cryptophyllachora milletticola</i> sp. nov., a Tar Spot‐Causing Fungus from Southwestern China
Cryptophyllachora milletticola sp. nov., a causal agent of tar spot, on living leaves of Millettia versicolor (Fabaceae), is described from Yunnan Province, China, based on morphological characteristics and multigene phylogenetic analysis. The current low number of described species of tar spot fungi and the scarcity of available molecular data have constrained robust and precise phylogenetic inference for this group. Future research should focus on discovering additional Cryptophyllachora and similar tar spot fungal species from diverse hosts and geographic regions, coupled with genomics datasets, to resolve their higher‐level classification and evolutionary relationships within the Sordariomycetidae. This work highlights the need to document understudied tar spot pathogens to advance the systematics of this morphologically complex group.
Authors
- Zi-yi Li
- Jia-Yu Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0884-7594)
- Cuiling Gong
- YI-TONG WANG
- Hai‐Xia Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7169-6717)
- Nalin N. Wijayawardene (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0522-5498)
Institutions
- Nanjing Forestry University (CN)
- Qujing Normal University (CN)
- Research Institute of Resource Insects (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Forestry (CN)
- State Forestry and Grassland Administration (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- New Zealand Journal of Botany
- Published
- 2026-05-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/nzb2.70105
- Primary Topic
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China