SYSTEMATIC APPRAISAL OF SPECIES COMPLEXES WITHIN CYLINDROCLADIELLA

Twenty-four strains of six Cylindrocladiella spp. were compared with r espect to their morphology, nuclear ribosomal DNA (nuclear rDNA) polym orphisms, and restriction fragment length polymorphisms of A+T-rich DN A (AT-DNA). Two distinct DNA profiles were observed for the ten strain s of C. camelliae/penuviana-complex studied. One profile corresponded with the type strain of C. peruviana, which was earlier regarded as a synonym of C. camelliae. Based on Southern analyses and AT-DNA, C. par va, C. elegans and C. lageniformis were confirmed to be distinct speci es with little intraspecific variation. Although C. infestans was show n to have some variation among the four strains studied, they could no t clearly be distinguished as separate taxa. Based on general morpholo gy, nuclear rDNA and AT-DNA polymorphisms, seven species of Cylindrocl adiella are recognized.