Abstract
Saprolegniaceae s.l. is a species-rich family of the monophyletic order Saprolegniales (Oomycota, Straminipila). Members of this family are primarily saprotrophs on cellulosic, chitinous, and proteinaceous materials in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. This family also includes pathogens infecting various hosts, such as plants, crustaceans, and fishes at various life cycle stages. A diversity survey of Saprolegniaceae s.l. from freshwater and soil of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest resulted in 20 species isolated and identified through morphological and molecular analyses. These analyses revealed two new genera (Beakesia and Cokeria) and two new species, Achlya delicata and Brevilegnia milaneziana. Beakesia is proposed to accommodate Achlya catenulata, while Cokeria includes species with subcentric and centric oospores previously assigned to Achlya (A. racemosa, A. radiosa, and A. sparrowii). Our findings highlight the importance of additional sampling and studies in biodiversity-rich areas such as the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. They also provide a new perspective on the evolutionary relationships and nomenclatural delineation of traditional Oomycota genera, and revisit the family subdivisions of Saprolegniales, formally introducing Achlyaceae.
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The full text of the manuscript will be available in Mycological Progress, the sequences at GenBank, and the specimens in the Herbarium SP and the CCIBt Culture Collection.
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Acknowledgements
We thank “Instituto Florestal” for permission to collect samples in the studied areas and Otto Hartung and Manoel Osorio Neves Junior for their help during sampling. We also thank Poliana de Oliveira Ventura and Ms. Débora Rodrigues da Silva Colombo for their technical help.
Funding
We wish to thank “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo” (FAPESP) for the financial support given to Carmen Lidia Amorim Pires-Zottarelli (Process nº. 2012/50222–7 and 2016/11146-4) and Sarah Cristina de Oliveira da Paixão (Process nº 2016/18787–5). “Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico” (CNPq) is also acknowledged for the grant given to Carmen Lidia Amorim Pires-Zottarelli (Process CNPq nº 304091/2018–9) and Sarah Cristina de Oliveira da Paixão (Process CNPq nº 152741/2016) and “Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior” (CAPES) for the financial support given to Sarah Cristina de Oliveira da Paixão through her post-graduation program. Marco Thines is funded by the excellence initiative of the government of Hesse in the framework of the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG).
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Pires-Zottarelli, C.L.A., de Oliveira da Paixão, S.C., Marano, A.V. et al. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses of Saprolegniales (Oomycota) reveal taxonomic and nomenclatural novelties. Mycol Progress 23, 24 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-024-01963-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-024-01963-3