Taxonomic Revision of Ampelomyces Strains (Dothideomycetes, Pleosporales) from All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms

Fungi of the genus Ampelomyces are among the most significant hyperparasites used for biological control of phytopathogenic fungi, particularly those causing powdery mildew on various plants. Most species of this genus were described by the Soviet scientist O. Rudakov (1979), 13 original strains of which, including several type cultures, are deposited in the All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms (VKM). These strains were studied for their morphological characteristics and multilocus phylogenetic analysis (ITS, LSU, tub2, and rpb2). However, none of them are Ampelomyces. Based on the results obtained, it was established that all studied strains belong to other taxa of the order Pleosporales: Didymella glomerata, D. pomorum, Nothophoma brennandiae, N. quercina, N. spiraeae. The species Ampelomyces artemisiae, A. heraclei, A. polygoni, A. ulicis, and A. uncinulae, for which the material type was studied, should be the heterotypic (taxonomic) synonyms of the taxon Didymella glomerata. Historical experimental data confirming hyperparasitism are provided for nine of the studied strains.