Morphology and Molecular Phylogeny of Pseudocercospora fatouae Associated with Hypophyllous Leaf Mold on Fatoua villosa in Korea

Dark brown leaf molds growing in a vein-limited pattern have been continuously observed on the lower leaf surface of Fatoua villosa in Korea. Fifteen samples deposited in the Korea University herbarium were examined for fungal morphological characterization. Two monoconidial isolates were obtained in 2022, and molecular analysis was performed based on a combined multigene dataset of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and partial actin (actA), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1), and DNA-directed RNA polymerase II second-largest subunit (rpb2). Based on morphological features and molecular phylogenetic analysis, the fungus Pseudocercospora fatouae was identified. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first study reporting the presence of P. fatouae on F. villosa in Korea