Taxonomy of Aureobasidium and allied genera

Sequences of ITS1 and 2 of the nuclear rDNA gene of Aureobasidium pullulans and allied fungi have been determined. The main subdivisions found show a good correlation with types of conidiogenesis prevalent in the species studied. Members of a core group, including the type strain of Kabatiella lini, CBS 125.21, and the neotype strain of Aureobasidium pullulans, CBS 584.75, have synchronous conidiogenesis. An adjacent group, including the authentic strain of Hormonema dematioides, CBS 116.29 and the type strain of Hormonema macrosporum, CBS 536.94, shows percurrent conidiogenesis. Kabatiella lini, the purported anamorph of Discosphaerina fulvida, falls within the range of variability of A. pullulans. Molecular diversity of ITS2 of the strains examined is larger than that of ITS1. Phylogeny and ecology of the anamorph genera, Aureobasidium, Kabatiella and Hormonema, and of the teleomorph genera Dothiora, Pringsheimia and Sydowia are discussed.