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A multigene phylogeny reveals that Ochroconis belongs to the family Sympoventuriaceae (Venturiales, Dothideomycetes)

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Abstract

Ochroconis is a genus of ascomycete fungi that includes oligotrophic saprobes and some opportunistic species causing infections in vertebrates. The most important of these opportunists is the neurotropic species Ochroconis gallopava, which occurs in birds and occasionally in immunocompromised humans. Other Ochroconis species have been isolated from superficial infections of cats, dogs and fish. In their natural environment, these species are found in litter, soil, and on moist surfaces. Some thermophilic species have been isolated from hot springs, industrial effluents, and self-heated plant material. Although their ecology and epidemiology has been investigated, their classification within the ascomycetes is still unknown. Here, the phylogenetic placement of Ochroconis is investigated using a four-gene phylogeny (nuLSU, nuSSU, mtSSU and RPB2). The results show that Ochroconis and its recently described sister genus Verruconis belong to the order Venturiales (Dothideomycetes) and are nested within the Sympoventuriaceae, a family recently erected for a group of plant-saprobes or -pathogens sister to the Venturiaceae. They form a well-supported monophyletic group together with five species of the anamorphic genus Fusicladium isolated from leaf and needle litters.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Conrad Schoch for providing alignments for this study and the collection staff from the CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre for their help with the cultures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie, CHU de Nancy, Hôpital Brabois, 11 allée du Morvan, 54511, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France

    M. Machouart

  2. CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 85167, 3508, AD Utrecht, The Netherlands

    K. Samerpitak & G. S. de Hoog

  3. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mittraparp Highway, Muang District, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand

    K. Samerpitak

  4. Department of Life Sciences, Division of Genomic & Microbial Diversity, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell road, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom

    C. Gueidan

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  1. M. Machouart
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  2. K. Samerpitak
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  3. G. S. de Hoog
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  4. C. Gueidan
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Correspondence to C. Gueidan.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 3 List of taxa and sequences used in our multigene phylogenetic analysis. Missing data are indicated by a dash. Newly produced sequences are highlighted in bold
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Machouart, M., Samerpitak, K., de Hoog, G.S. et al. A multigene phylogeny reveals that Ochroconis belongs to the family Sympoventuriaceae (Venturiales, Dothideomycetes). Fungal Diversity 65, 77–88 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-013-0252-7

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