Phytophthora has been rebuilt to fix security-related problems and to restore GIS tools. These tools allow users to visualize the geospatial, temporal, and environmental contexts of Phytophthora discoveries. The next phase is to update species information and add data derived from large-scale surveys. If you have suggestions and requests to make the database better, please contact Seogchan Kang (sxk55@psu.edu).
Genus wide phylogeny for Phytophthora using four mitochondrial loci (cox2, nad9, rps10 and secY; 2,373 nucleotides). Maximum likelihood branch lengths shown. Numbers on nodes represent bootstrap support values for maximum likelihood (top), maximum parsimony (middle) and Bayesian posterior probabilities as percentages (bottom). Nodes receiving significant support (>95%) in all analysis are marked with an asterisk (*). Scale bar indicates number of substitutions per site.(Martin, Blair and Coffey, unpublished).
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Phytophthora litoralis T. Jung, M.J.C. Stukely & T.I. Burgess 2011 (Oomycetes, Pythiales)
Distribution: Australia.
Substrate: Water, soil associated with dying plants.
Supporting Literature:
Jung, T., Stukely, M.J.C., Hardy, G.E.St.J., White, D., and Paap, T. 2011. Multiple new Phytophthora species from ITS Clade 6 associated with natural ecosystems in Australia: evolutionary and ecological implications. Persoonia 26: 13-39.
Updated on Aug 26, 2011
Phytophthora litoralis T. Jung, M.J.C. Stukely, T.I. Burgess During surveys of dying vegetation in natural ecosystems and associated waterways in Australia many new taxa have been identified from Phytophthora ITS Clade 6. Among these is P. litoralis a rarely encountered species is closely related to P. thermophila, P. amnicola and P. fluvialis. These species are appear to be endemic to Western Australia.
1. Sporangia
Sporangia are rarely observed on solid agar but are produced abundantly in non-sterile soil extract. Sporangia were borne terminally on unbranched sporangiophores, often in chains of internally proliferating sporangia, or in lax sympodia. In addition, small secondary lateral sporangia were sometimes formed from the cytoplasm remaining in the sporangiophore after the formation of the primary terminal sporangium (Fig. 1a, d). Sporangia are non-caducous and nonpapillate. Sporangial shapes range from ovoid (Fig. 1a-c) and elongated ovoid to limoniform (Fig. 1a-b) and, less frequently ellipsoid, pyriform, obpyriform or ampulliform. Sporangia usually proliferated internally in both a nested and extended way (Fig. 1e). External proliferation was also common. Sporangial dimensions average 43.6 ± 7.7 × 29.4 ± 5.4 μm (overall range 27.8 –76.9 × 16.0 – 40.4 μm). The length/breadth ratio of the sporangia average 1.51 ± 0.26.
2. Chlamydospores
Some isolates produce globose chlamydospores, which averaged 34.3 ± 5.3 μm diameter (Fig. 2a). Globose, angular or irregular-elongated, often catenulate hyphal swellings were regularly formed (Fig. 2b).
3. Sex Organs
None of the P. litoralis isolates tested produced gametangia in single culture or when paired with each other of tester strains. However, two of the isolates stimulated the formation of oogonia in the A2 isolate of P. cinnamomi. Thus, the sexual system of P. litoralis can be either fully sterile or self-sterile silent A1.
4. Growth Temperatures
P. litoralis grows on V8 agar (V8A) at 5-32.5°C with an optimum near 30°C (radial growth rate 4.6 ± 0.3 mm/d). Growth occurred at 35°C for one isolate and 37.5 was lethal for all isolates.
5. Growth Characteristics in Culture
Uniform colonies on V8A (Fig. 3a), stellate colonies with sparse aerial mycelium on carrot agar (Fig. 3b); petaloid, appressed to submerged colonies on MEA (Fig. 3c) and irregular and dense-felty on PDA (Fig. 3d).
6. Distinguishing Characteristics
Phytophthora litoralis is referred to as P. sp. 11 (Burgess et al. 2009). It is distinguished from the phylogenetically closest species, P. thermophila, by being partly silent A1, by the occurrence of external proliferation and secondary lateral sporangia, by having lower optimum and maximum temperatures for growth, and by faster growth on PDA.
7. Type isolate
AUSTRALIA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, Ravensthorpe, from rhizosphere soil of dying Banksia sp., 2008, VHS, holotype MURU 463 (dried culture on V8A, Herbarium of Murdoch University, Western Australia), cultures ex-type CBS127953 and VHS20763; ITS, ß-tubulin, HSP90, cox1 and NADH, and sequence GenBank HQ012948, JN547611, HQ012866, HQ012872 and JN547697 respectively MycoBank MB518765.
Pathogenic on Xanthorrhoea preissii, Banksia sp. and Casuarina obesa.
Burgess, T. I., Webster, J. L., Ciampini, J. A., White, D., Hardy, G. E. S. J., Stukely, M. J. C.. 2009. Re-evaluation of Phytophthora species isolated during 30 years of vegetation health surveys in Western Australia using molecular techniques. Plant Disease 93: 215-223.
Jung, T., Stukely, M. J. C., Hardy, G. E. S. J., White, D., Paap, T., Dunstan, W. A., Burgess, T. I.. 2011. Multiple new Phytophthora species from ITS clade 6 associated with natural ecosystems in Australia: evolutionary and ecological implications. Persoonia 26: 13-39.
This page was written by Treena Burgess Centre for Phytophthora Science and Management, Murdoch University, Australia.
Isolate list