Five Colletotrichum species are responsible for mango anthracnose in northeastern Brazil

Colletotrichum species are the most important and widespread form of decay affecting mango fruit worldwide. In this study, Colletotrichum species associated with fruit anthracnose isolated from mango in northeastern Brazil were subject to molecular and morphological analyses. The partial sequences of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene of 143 Colletotrichum isolates was amplified, as an initial measure of genetic diversity. A subset of 47 isolates, selected to represent the range of genetic diversity and geographic origin, were further sequenced using the partial actin, β-tubulin, calmodulin, glutamine synthetase genes and rDNA-ITS region. The multilocus sequence analysis, together with a critical examination of the phenotypic characters, revealed four previously described species (Colletotrichum asianum, Colletotrichum fructicola, Colletotrichum tropicale and Colletotrichum karstii) and one new species. The new species is introduced as Colletotrichum dianesei and formally described, illustrated and compared with similar taxa. Only C. asianum and C. karstii have previously been reported from mango, while the other species represent the first report associated with the mango fruits worldwide. All species are reported for the first time associated with the mango fruits in Brazil.