Epitypification of Cercospora rautensis, the causal agent of leaf spot disease on Securigera varia, and its first report from Iran

Cercospora is a well-studied and important genus of plant pathogenic species responsible for leaf spots on a broad range of plant hosts. The lack of useful morphological traits and the high degree of variation therein complicate species identifications in Cercospora. Recent studies have revealed multi-gene DNA sequence data to be highly informative for species identification in Cercospora. During the present study, Cercospora isolates obtained from Crownvetch (Securigera varia) in Iran and Romania were subjected to an eight-gene (ITS, tef1, actA, cmdA, his3, tub2, rpb2 and gapdh) analysis. By applying a polyphasic approach including morphological characteristics, host data, and molecular analyses, these isolates were identified as C. rautensis. To our knowledge, this is the first record of C. rautensis from Iran (Asia). In addition, an epitype is designated here for C. rautensis.