Data from: Whole genome sequencing and phylogenomic analysis show support for the splitting of genus Pythium

The genus Pythium (nom. cons.) sensu lato (s.l.) is
composed of many important species of plant pathogens. Early molecular
phylogenetic studies suggested paraphyly of Pythium, which led to
a formal proposal by Uzuhashi and colleagues in 2010 to split the genus
into Pythium sensu stricto
(s.s.), Elongisporangium, Globisporangium,
Ovatisporangium (= Phytopythium),
and Pilasporangium using morphological characters and
phylogenies of the mt cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2
(cox2) and D1–D2 domains of nuc 28S rDNA. Although the split was fairly
justified by the delineating morphological characters, there were
weaknesses in the molecular analyses, which created reluctance in the
scientific community to adopt these new genera for the description of new
species. In this study, this issue was addressed using phylogenomics.
Whole genomes of 109 strains of Pythium and close
relatives were sequenced, assembled, and annotated. These data were
combined with 10 genomes sequenced in previous studies. Phylogenomic
analyses were performed with 148 single-copy genes represented in at least
90% of the taxa in the data set. The results showed support for the
division of Pythium s.l. The status of alternative
generic names that have been used for species
of Pythium in the past (e.g., Artotrogus,
Cystosiphon, Eupythium, Nematosporangium, Rheosporangium,
Sphaerosporangium) was investigated. Based on our molecular analyses and
review of the Pythium generic concepts, we urge the
scientific community to adopt the generic names Pythium,
Elongisporangium, Globisporangium, and their concepts as proposed by
Uzuhashi and colleagues in 2010 in their work going forward. In order to
consolidate the taxonomy of these genera, some of the recently
described Pythium spp. are transferred
to Elongisporangium and Globisporangium.