Cephaleuros virescens
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Cephaleuros virescens is an algal plant pathogen that infects tea, coffee and coconut plants, causing algal leaf spot or algal rust. It is notable for having the widest host range of its genus, recorded on 287 plant species and cultivars on the U.S. Gulf coast alone, and is widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics.
Scientific classification
- CladeEukaryota
- CladeArchaeplastida
- CladeViridiplantae
- ClassUlvophyceae
- OrderTrentepohliales
- FamilyTrentepohliaceae
- GenusCephaleuros
- SpeciesCephaleuros virescens
Named by Kunze ex E.M.Fries 1832: 327
Close relatives
Other species of Cephaleuros with a Codexery entry.
- Cephaleuros parasiticus Cephaleuros parasiticus
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Cephaleuros virescens (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 422891 (CC BY 4.0)
Where the cephaleuros virescens has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (420 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 121 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Quick Facts
- Species
- virescens
Facts from the source article.
Background
Cephaleuros virescens consists of circular thalli with a crenate margin, composed of two main dichotomously branching filaments. Sporangiophores emerge laterally from the thallus branches, either solitary or in tufts of 3–5. Gametangia are produced above the thallus, and the gametangial cell wall divides to form a group of 2–6 or more gametangia. The pathogen is most commonly identified by the orange-brown rust-colored leaf spots it causes, which are fuzzy in texture and about 2 cm in diameter, usually on the upper leaf surface, though spots on the underside have been reported.
In susceptible hosts, stem and fruit spots can also occur. The asexual stage is considered important as the more common mode of inoculum in the disease cycle. Infection occurs when sporangia or thallus filaments are deposited on susceptible plant tissues, dispersed by water or wind. Zoospores released from sporangia penetrate the host cuticle in a haustorial manner, and a flat, circular thallus develops subcuticularly.
The pathogen survives on existing leaves and stems as spores and in fallen plant debris, and because it lives in tropical climates it can survive year-round without relying on survival structures.
More in Marine Green Macroalgae
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Cephaleuros virescens (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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