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Eucalyptus gomphocephala (tuart) is a tree native to the southwest coast of Western Australia, where, in some areas, there is a significant decline in the health of tuart. Botryosphaeriaceous taxa have been isolated as endophytes and canker pathogens from numerous hosts in many parts of the world and have been implicated in the decline of E. gomphocephala. In the present study, endophytic fungi were isolated from a wide variety of native woody plant species (Acacia cochlearis, A. rostellifera, Allocasuarina fraseriana, Agonis flexuosa, Banksia grandis, E. gomphocephala, E. marginata and Santalum acuminatum), at two locations in native E. gomphocephala woodland; a site in decline at Yalgorup National Park and a healthy site at Woodman Point Regional Park. Of the 226 isolates obtained, 154 were botryosphaeriaceous taxa, 80% of which were found to be Neofusicoccum australe, isolated from all hosts at both collection sites. Four new species are described, Dothiorella moneti, Dothiorella santali, Neofusicoccum pennatisporum, and a species belonging to a genus only recently included in the Botryosphaeriaceae, Aplosporella yalgorensis. The other species isolated were Botryosphaeria dothidea on the new hosts A. rostellifera, A. cochlearis and E. marginata and Dichomera eucalypti, on the new host E. marginata. None of the new species formed lesions on excised stems of their host species, E. gomphocephala, or a common plantation species, E. globulus. However, Neofusicoccum australe formed lesions on excised stems of E. globulus and E. gomphocephala.

A severe canker disease has been causing decline and death of Corymbia calophylla in the southwest of Western Australia (WA) for some years, but the causal agent has never been investigated. However, there have been historical reports dating back to the 1920s of a canker disease of amenity planted C. ficifolia caused by 'Sporotrichum destructor', though the description and Latin diagnosis were never published. It has been suggested that there may be links between this species and the genus Quambalaria, a group containing leaf and shoot pathogens of species of Eucalyptus and Corymbia. The aim of this study was to investigate the identity of the pathogen historically attributed to canker disease of C. ficifolia, determine whether this pathogen is responsible for the current epidemic of C. calophylla canker, and whether it is synonymous with Quambalaria. Surveys examined the range of Quambalaria spp. on Corymbia spp. endemic to southwest WA. Their phylogenetic relationship to Q. cyanescens, Q. eucalypti, and Q. pitereka was examined using rLSU and ITS sequence data. Morphological characters were also compared. Sequences confirmed that Q. cyanescens and Q. pitereka are present in southwest WA, with the latter associated with leaf and shoot disease. A third group isolated from cankers represent a new species of Quambalaria. Comparisons of disease symptoms and conidiogenesis indicate this species is synonymous with 'S. destructor'. The species is formally described here as Q. coyrecup sp. nov.

A recent study to determine the cause of collar and root rot disease outbreaks of cold tolerant Eucalyptus species in South Africa resulted in the isolation of two putative new Phytophthora species. Based on phylogenetic comparisons using the ITS and beta-tubulin gene regions, these species were shown to be distinct from known species. These differences were also supported by robust morphological characteristics. The names, Phytophthora frigida sp. nov. and Phytophthora alticola sp. nov. are thus provided for these taxa, which are phylogenetically closely related to species within the ITS clade 2 (P. citricola, P. tropicali and P.multivesiculata) and 4 (P. arecae and P. megakarya), respectively. Phytophthora frigida is heterothallic, and produces stellate to rosaceous growth patterns on growth medium, corraloid hyphae, sporangia with a variety of distorted shapes and has the ability to grow at low temperatures. Phytophthora alticola is homothallic and has a slower growth rate in culture. Both P. frigida and P. alticola are pathogenic to Eucalyptus dunnii. In pathogenicity tests, they were, however, less pathogenic than P. cinnamomi, which is a well-known pathogen of Eucalyptus in South Africa.

Species of Phaeophleospora are anamorphs of Mycosphaerella and they include some of the most serious foliar pathogens of Eucalyptus spp. grown in plantations worldwide. Pathogens assigned to this genus and occurring on Eucalyptus spp. were previously treated in Kirramyces and they are also phylogenetically closely related to other anamorphs of Mycosphaerella residing in the genus Colletogloeopsis. The primary aim of this study was to consider the appropriate taxonomic placement of these species. To achieve this goal, morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data from the ITS and translation EF1-alpha gene regions were used to compare the type species P. eugeniae, Phaeophleospora spp. and Colletogloeopsis spp. occurring on eucalypts, using ex-type cultures and herbarium specimens. Phylogenetic data and morphological comparisons supported the separation of P. eugeniae from Phaeophleospora species occurring on eucalypts. The name Phaeophleospora is retained for P. eugeniae and the name Kirramyces is resurrected for the species occurring on eucalypts (genera Eucalyptus, Corymbia, and Angophora). Sequence data from the type specimens of two previously described species of Kirramyces, K. lilianiae and K. delegatensis, show they reside in a clade with other Kirramyces spp. Morphological and DNA sequence comparisons also showed that there is considerable overlap between species of Phaeophleospora and Colletogloeopsis from eucalypts. Based on these findings, Colletogloeopsis is reduced to synonymy with the older Kirramyces and the description of Kirramyces is emended to include species with aseptate, as well as multiseptate, conidia produced in acervuli or pycnidia. Two new species of Kirramyces, K. angophorae and K. corymbiae, are also described.

Diplodia pinea (syn. Sphaeropsis sapinea) is a well-known latent pathogen of Pinus spp. with a worldwide distribution. As such, this fungus is native where pines are endemic in the northern hemisphere and it has been introduced into all countries of the Southern Hemisphere where pines are exotic. The newly described D. scrobiculata (formerly known as the B morphotype of D. pinea) is thought to have a much more limited distribution. D. scrobiculata was first reported as an endophyte and weak pathogen of P. banksiana, where it was found to coexist with D. pinea. Diplodia scrobiculata is now known to have a much broader distribution in Northern America and Europe. In this study, seven Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers were used to evaluate genetic diversity and gene flow between populations of D. scrobiculata. Results indicate a strong geographic isolation between populations of D. scrobiculata from different regions in North America, with unique alleles fixed in the different populations. The data fits the isolation by distance model indicating limited dispersal. Geographic isolation in combination with isolation by distance suggests prolonged reproductive isolation. Intensive collections of endophytes from native P. radiata in California have yielded only D. scrobiculata and not the significantly more pathogenic D. pinea. SSR analysis of three populations of D. scrobiculata from native P. radiata identified many shared alleles among the populations and moderate to high gene flow between them. The three Californian populations are distant and distinct from populations of D. scrobiculata from elsewhere. Under stress conditions, P. radiata is known to be very susceptible to D. pinea in plantations in the Southern Hemisphere. Native P. radiata is currently experiencing severe stress due to pitch canker caused by Fusarium circinatum. Such stress would provide ideal conditions for an associated outbreak of D. pinea. Thus, it is critical to prevent the movement of D. pinea into the last remaining native stands of P. radiata.