A new species in the Mycosphaerellaceae from Cecidomyiidae leaf gall in Avicenna marina in South Africa

During studies to investigate the health of mangrove trees in South Africa, high numbers of Avicennia marina were found with leaf galls caused by unidentified adults and larvae of midges (Cecidomyiidae). Fungal fruiting structures were commonly observed on the abaxial areas of the galls. To determine the identity of the fungi associated with the gall midges, phylogenetic analyses using multigene sequence data were used. The nuclear large subunit (LSU), internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and a portion of the actin gene region (ACT), were amplified and analyzed. The results revealed that the fungal fruiting structures represent a new taxon in the Mycosphaerellaceae described here as Zasmidium mangrovei sp. nov. This is the first report of a species in the Mycosphaerellaceae associated with cecidomyiid leaf galls on A. marina.