''Pyricularia'' is a genus of

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

which was named by Saccardo in 1880.Saccardo, P.A. Michelia 2(no. 6): 20. 1880 The

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

nature of ''Pyricularia'' has been resolved and species of ''Pyricularia s. str.'' were shown to belong to a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

clade (including ''

Pyricularia grisea ''Magnaporthe grisea'', also known as rice blast fungus, rice rotten neck, rice seedling blight, blast of rice, oval leaf spot of graminea, pitting disease, ryegrass blast, Johnson spot, neck blast, wheat blast and , is a plant-pathogenic fungus ...

'' isolates), defining the family Pyriculariaceae.

Etymology

The genus ''Pyricularia'' is named after the pyriform (pear-shaped) shape of its

conidia A conidium ( ; : conidia), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (: chlamydoconidia), is an asexual, non- motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also ...

Pathogenicity

The genus ''Pyricularia'' includes species that are pathogenic on a wide range of monocot plants. For example, '' Pyricularia oryzae'' (sexual morph ''Magnaporthe oryzae''), the causal agent of the rice blast disease, is one of the most widely distributed diseases of rice, and is highly destructive leading to up to 30% yield loss worldwide. ''Pyricularia oryzae'' isolates from

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

are mostly host-specific and infect only few host plants beside

(

barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

and ''

Lolium ''Lolium'' is a genus of tufted grasses in the bluegrass subfamily (Pooideae). It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera. They are characterized by bunch-like growth habits. ''Lolium'' ...

''). ''Pyricularia oryzae'' isolates from other host plants such as ''

Eleusine ''Eleusine'' is a genus of Asian, African, and South American plants in the grass family,Setaria ''Setaria'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Latin word ''seta'', meaning "bristle" or "hair", which refers to the bristly spikelets. The genus includes over 100 species distributed in many t ...

'' and ''

Triticum Wheat is a group of wild and domesticated grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known wheat species and hybrids include the most widely grown comm ...

'' are also host-specific, and unable to infect rice. The closely related species ''P. oryzae'' and ''Pyricularia grisea'' are indistinguishable in morphology of conidium, perithecium and ascopore. ''Pyricularia grisea'' isolates from ''

Digitaria ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the grass family native to tropical and warm temperate regions but can occur in tropical, subtropical, and cooler temperate regions as well. Common names include crabgrass, finger-grass, and fonio. They ar ...

'' were shown to form a distinct clade by

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analysis and infect

crabgrass ''Digitaria'' is a genus of plants in the grass family native to tropical and warm temperate regions but can occur in tropical, subtropical, and cooler temperate regions as well. Common names include crabgrass, finger-grass, and fonio. They are ...

(''Digitaria''), but not other hosts. However, some ''P. oryzae'' isolates from rice and other grasses and some ''P. grisea'' isolates from crabgrass were described to show cross-infectivity on crabgrass and rice, respectively.

Sexual morphs

Sexual morphs were reported for ''P. grisea'' and ''P. oryzae''. The genus ''Pyricularia'' comprises several other species for which the sexual morph has not yet been discovered.

Species

*'' Pyricularia angulata'' *'' Pyricularia apiculata'' *'' Pyricularia borealis'' *'' Pyricularia buloloensis'' *'' Pyricularia caffra'' *'' Pyricularia cannae'' *'' Pyricularia cannicola'' *'' Pyricularia caricis'' *'' Pyricularia commelinicola'' *'' Pyricularia costi'' *'' Pyricularia costina'' *'' Pyricularia curcumae'' *'' Pyricularia cyperi'' *'' Pyricularia didyma'' *'' Pyricularia digitariae'' *'' Pyricularia distorta'' *'' Pyricularia dubiosa'' *'' Pyricularia ebbelsii'' *'' Pyricularia echinochloae'' *'' Pyricularia euphorbiae'' *'' Pyricularia fusispora'' *'' Pyricularia globbae'' *''

'' *'' Pyricularia guarumaicola'' *'' Pyricularia juncicola'' *'' Pyricularia kookicola'' *'' Pyricularia lauri'' *'' Pyricularia leersiae'' *'' Pyricularia longispora'' *'' Pyricularia lourinae'' *'' Pyricularia luzulae'' *'' Pyricularia occidentalis'' *'' Pyricularia oncosperma'' *'' Pyricularia oryzae'' *'' Pyricularia panici-paludosi'' *'' Pyricularia parasitica'' *'' Pyricularia penniseti'' *'' Pyricularia peruamazonica'' *'' Pyricularia pyricularioides'' *'' Pyricularia rabaulensis'' *'' Pyricularia sansevieriae'' *'' Pyricularia scripta'' *'' Pyricularia setariae'' *'' Pyricularia sphaerulata'' *'' Pyricularia submersa'' *'' Pyricularia subsigmoidea'' *'' Pyricularia vandalurensis'' *'' Pyricularia variabilis'' *'' Pyricularia whetzelii'' *'' Pyricularia zingiberis'' *'' Pyricularia zizaniicola''

Taxonomy

''Conidia'' are solitary, pyriform to obclavate, narrowed toward tip, rounded at the base, 2-septate, hyaline to pale brown, with a distinct basal hilum, sometimes with marginal frill. Type species: ''Pyricularia grisea'' Sacc., Michelia 2(no. 6): 20. 1880.

Family

Species of ''Pyricularia s. str.'' belong to a

clade that includes ''P. oryzae/P. grisea'' isolates, and was defined as Pyriculariaceae. Pyriculariaceae is sister to the Ophioceraceae, representing two novel families. These clades are clearly distinct from species belonging to the '' Gaeumannomyces pro parte/ Magnaporthiopsis/ Nakataea'' generic complex that are monophyletic and define the family

Magnaporthaceae The Magnaporthaceae are a family of fungi in the order Magnaporthales. It was circumscribed by Paul F. Cannon in 1994 for a group of grass-associated fungi centered on ''Magnaporthe'' (''Nakataea''). Magnaporthaceae have a harpophora-like asexua ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Sordariomycetes genera Magnaporthales