Two novel species of Alternaria (Pleosporales, Pleosporaceae) from cowpea (Fabaceae) in China

The genus Alternaria (Pleosporales, Pleosporaceae) is globally distributed, occurs on a wide variety of substrates, and comprises saprobic, endophytic, and pathogenic species. In this study, four unidentified Alternaria isolates were obtained from symptomatic leaves of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) in Hainan Province, China. These Alternaria spp. were characterized based on morphological features and phylogenetic analysis with multiple loci (GAPDH, RPB 2, Alt a 1, EndoPG, and OPA 10-2).

Based on the combined morphological and phylogenetic evidence, two novel species in Alternaria sect. Alternaria are described: A. unguiculatae sp. nov. and A. hainanensis sp. nov. This study expands the known diversity of Alternaria associated with Fabaceae, particularly cowpea, in China.