Two new species of Halophytophthora from Brazil

Abstract

During a survey of oomycetes in a mangrove area of São Paulo state, Brazil, a high number of isolates of Halophytophthora and related genera were recovered from leaves and water samples. In this study, we analysed the morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the isolates of Halophytophthora along with four ex-types provided by CBS-KNAW Culture Collection. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA regions confirmed previous evidence of the polyphyly of the genus and revealed the presence of two yet undescribed species. The two new species, Halophytophthora souzae and H. insularis, belong to the Halophytophthora sensu stricto clade and are described herein based on their morphology and/or phylogenetic position.