Reclassification of citrus pseudo greasy spot causal yeasts, and a proposal of two new species, Sporobolomyces productus sp. nov. and S. corallinus sp. nov

Three basidiomycetous yeast strains, No. 3 (=MAFF 654001), No. 4 (=MAFF 654002), and No. 6 (=MAFF 654003), isolated from diseased leaves of Citrus unshiu and formerly identified as Sporobolomyces roseus, were reported to cause citrus pseudo greasy spot (PGS). In the course of investigating the causal agent of citrus PGS, we confirmed, using conventional and molecular phylogenetic methods, that these yeasts caused citrus PGS but did not belong to S. roseus. No. 3 (=MAFF 654001) and No. 4 (=MAFF 654002) were closely related to S. subbrunneus, and No. 6 (=MAFF 654003) to S. dimmenae, but each of them was distinctive from these species. We have proposed two new species, S. productus and S. corallinus, as the causal pathogens of citrus PGS.