Phyllachora cynodontis. [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria].
Abstract A description is provided for Phyllachora cynodontis. Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: Chloris pycnothrix, C. radiata, C. roxburghiana (syn. C. myriostachya), Cynodon dactylon, C. plectostachyus, Cynodon sp. (Gramineae). Records on Bouteloua curtipendula, B. gracilis, B. heterostega, B. hirsuta, B. lophostachya, Buchloë dactyloides, Elymus triticoides, Spartina leiantha and S. stricta (Gramineae) require confirmation. DISEASE: Tar spot of leaves. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: AFRICA: Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zimbabwe. NORTH AMERICA: USA (Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin). CENTRAL AMERICA: Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico. SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela. ASIA: China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan. Australasia: Australia. EUROPE: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain. Very widespread in the tropics and warm temperate regions, present more or less wherever Cynodon is grown as a turfgrass. TRANSMISSION: Not studied in detail, but morphological features agree with those of relatives which have been shown to disperse ascospores actively via air currents, possibly with secondary dispersal via water splash, especially where turf is irrigated.