Draft genome sequence of the keylime (Citrus × aurantiifolia) pathogen Colletotrichum limetticola

Many species belonging to the genus Colletotrichum are causal agents of plant diseases, generally referred to as anthracnose, in a wide range of hosts worldwide. Colletotrichum spp. are responsible for impacting numerous economically important crops on a global scale. This genus comprises approximately 257 distinct species, which are further organized into at least 15 major phylogenetic lineages known as species complexes (Talhinhas and Baroncelli 2021). Virtually every crop grown in the world is susceptible to one or more species of Colletotrichum (Baroncelli et al. 2014). Among these, the Colletotrichum acutatum species complex stands out as a diverse group of closely related plant pathogenic fungi within the genus (Baroncelli et al. 2017). Members of the Colletotrichum acutatum species complex have a wide host range in both domesticated and wild plant species, and their capability to infect insects has also been described (Damn et al. 2012, Marcelino et al. 2008). In this species complex, Colletotrichum limetticola (formerly known as Gloeosporium limetticola; Clausen 1912) was initially described in 2012 as a species predominantly associated with wither tip symptoms on sour lime (Citrus aurantiifolia) in Cuba and the USA during the 1910s (Damm et al. 2012). Later descriptions associated the disease with strains of C. gloeosporioides (Brown et al. 1996) or C. acutatum (Peres et al. 2008). Recent findings in Brazil have revealed the presence of C. limetticola causing Glomerella leaf spot on apples, although its prevalence remains low while displaying high virulence (Moreira et al. 2019). To the best of our knowledge, no further occurrences of C. limetticola have been documented, despite the presence of other known Colletotrichum species that infect citrus and apples (Talhinhas and Baroncelli 2021). This raises concerns regarding the conservation status of C. limetticola considering the scarcity of records on its original hosts and the occurrence of cross-infections.