| Moniliophthora roreri | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Phylum: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Basidiomycetes |
| Subclass: | Agaricomycetidae |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Marasmiaceae |
| Genus: | Moniliophthora |
| Species: | M. roreri |
| Binomial name | |
| Moniliophthora roreri (Cif.) H.C. Evans, Stalpers, Samson & Benny, (1978) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Crinipellis roreri (Cif.) H.C. Evans, (2002) |
|
Moniliophthora roreri is a plant pathogen of Herrania and Theobroma spp., including the cacao tree: on which it is called Frosty pod rot. T. gileri thought to be the indigenous forest host in the upper Amazon basin. Sometimes it is known by the misnomer Monilia. It is a highly invasive species, with records of spread up the isthmus of Panama (1956), followed by: Costa Rica (1978), Nicaragua (1979) Honduras (1997), in Guatemala (2002), Belize (2004) and in Mexico (2005), where it threatens ancient cocoa germplasm . Were it to be introduced into other continents, its impact on cocoa production could be catastrophic, having replaced other diseases such as black pod disease as the number one threat in any country where both exist.