Members of the family Botryosphaeriaceae are cosmopolitan and occur on a wide range of monocotyledonous, dicotyledonous and gymnosperm hosts. They are associated with various symptoms such as shoot blights, stem cankers, fruit rots, die-back and gummosis and are also known as endophytes. Thus far based on phylogenetic studies 17 genera have been recognised including Lasiodiplodia in this family. Lasiodiplodia species are common, especially in tropical and subtropical regions where they cause a variety of diseases. The genus is based on Lasiodiplodia theobromae. There have been no studies on the Lasiodiplodia species in Iran apart from a few reports of L. theobromae. In a survey of Botryosphaeriaceae in Iran some Lasiodiplodia isolates that differed from L. theobromae in terms of morphology and ISSR fingerprinting profile were found. Phylogenetic analyses (MP, NJ and Bayesian) based on ITS and partial translation elongation factor 1-α sequence data were performed. Molecular and morphological data revealed six species. Of these, L. theobromae and L. pseudotheobromae are known species and the later is reported for the first time from Iran. The remaining four species, Lasiodiplodia sp.1, Lasiodiplodia sp.2, Lasiodiplodia sp.3 and Lasiodiplodia sp.4 will soon be described and published formally.
