New taxonomic concepts for the important forest pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica and related fungi

Abstract

Species of Cryphonectria include some of the world's most important and devastating tree pathogens. Largely through the application of DNA sequence phylogenies, the taxonomy of these fungi has undergone major changes in recent years. Cryphonectria, including the chestnut blight pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica, has been restricted to species that have semi-immersed stromata, orange and pulvinate conidiomata, and one-septate ascospores. Other species of Cryphonectria with different morphological characteristics have been transferred to new genera that are strongly supported by phylogenetic data. This review represents a summary of the taxonomic changes to species of Cryphonectria sensu lato, and we discuss the impact that these changes might have on the understanding of their ecology, pathology and worldwide distribution.