Morphophylogenetic analyses revealed that <i>Podosphaera tridactyla</i> constitutes a species complex

Abstract

<i>Podosphaera tridactyla</i> (s. lat.) is a powdery mildew species occurring on a wide range of <i>Prunus</i> spp. almost worldwide. We have investigated the phylogeny of the <i>Po. tridactyla</i> complex, with special emphasis on potential aspects of cryptic speciation. The results suggested that <i>Po. tridactyla</i> represents a species complex consisting of at least 12 different species. Based on detailed morphological examinations and molecular sequence analyses, we propose dividing <i>Po. tridactyla</i> s. lat. into 10 species, encompassing 7 new species (<i>Po. ampla, Po. pruni-avium, Po. pruni-cerasoidis, Po. prunigena, Po. pruni-lusitanicae, Po. prunina</i>, and <i>Po. pruni-japonicae</i>) and 3 known species (<i>Po. longiseta, Po. salatai</i>, and <i>Po. tridactyla</i> s. str.). <i>Oidium passerinii</i> on <i>Pr. laurocerasus</i> is confirmed as a synonym of <i>Po. tridactyla</i> s. str. Epitypes are designated for <i>Po. tridactyla</i> and <i>Oidium passerinii.</i>