Acericercospora hyrcanica gen. et sp. nov. (Mycosphaerellaceae) and Paramycocentrospora acericola gen. et sp. nov. (Dothidotthiaceae) on maple trees in Hyrcanian forests

Maples (Acer spp., Sapindaceae) are one of the most important and dominant groups of trees in Hyrcanian forests of Iran. During our survey of leaf-inhabiting fungi associated with trees in Hyrcanian forests, several hyphomycetous fungal strains were recovered from leaf spot symptoms of maple trees. The identification of these isolates was performed using phylogenetic analyses coupled with morphological observations. Based on these data, two new genera of the Dothideomycetes were discovered. Acericercospora gen. nov. (Mycosphaerellaceae) is introduced to accommodate Acericercospora hyrcanica sp. nov. associated with leaf lesions on Acer cappadocicum and A. velutinum. Paramycocentrospora gen. nov. (Dothidotthiaceae) with Paramycocentrospora acericola sp. nov. as type species, is associated with leaf lesions on seedlings of A. velutinum. In this paper, detailed descriptions and illustrations are provided for the new taxa, supplemented by comprehensive comparisons with allied and similar taxa.