Pseudocercospora mapelanensis sp. nov., associated with a fruit and leaf disease of Barringtonia racemosa in South Africa

Barringtonia racemosa (Lecythidaceae) is a widely distributed mangrove associate in coastal areas of Africa, Asia and Australia. During routine disease surveys along the east coast of the KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa, B. racemosa trees were observed with symptoms of leaf and fruit spot. A novel species of Pseudocercospora was commonly associated with these symptoms. This fungus is described as Pseudocercospora mapelanensis sp. nov., based on multi-gene sequence analyses for the ACT, ITS, LSU and TEF gene regions, as well as morphological characteristics.