The morphological concept of Penicillium sclerotiorum (subgenus Aspergilloides) includes strains with monoverticillate, vesiculate conidiophores, and vivid orange to red colony colours, with colourful sclerotia sometimes produced. Multigene phylogenetic analyses with the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), β-tubulin (benA), translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1-α), and calmodulin (cmd), reveal that the P. sclerotiorum morphospecies is a complex of seven phylogenetically distinct species, three of which were recently described, namely P. guanacastense, P. mallochii, and P. viticola. Three previously unidentified species are described here as P. cainii, P. jacksonii, and P. johnkrugii. The phylogenetic species are morphologically similar, but differ in combinations of colony characters, sclerotium production, conidiophore stipe roughening and branching, and conidial shape. Ecological characters and differences in geographical distribution further characterise some of the species, but increased sampling is necessary to confirm these differences. The fungal DNA barcode, the ITS, and the animal DNA barcode, cox1, have lower species resolving ability in our phylogenetic analyses, but still allow identification of all the species. Tef1-α and cmd were superior in providing fully resolved, statistically well-supported phylogenetic trees for this species complex, whereas benA resolved all species but had some issues with paraphyly. Penicillium adametzioides and P. multicolor, considered synonyms of P. sclerotiorum by some previous authors, do not belong to the P. sclerotiorum complex.Taxonomic novelties:New species: Penicillium cainii K.G. Rivera, Malloch & Seifert, P. jacksonii K.G. Rivera, Houbraken & Seifert, P. johnkrugii K.G. Rivera, Houbraken & Seifert.
Twenty-five strains of monoverticillate Penicillium species were isolated from dissected guts and fecal pellets of leaf-eating caterpillars reared in the Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, or from washed leaves of their food plants. Phylogenetic analyses of β-tubulin, nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS), cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, translation elongation factor 1-α and calmodulin gene sequences revealed two phylogenetically distinct, undescribed species closely related to P. sclerotiorum. Penicillium mallochii was isolated from Rothschildia lebeau and Citheronia lobesis (Saturniidae) and their food plant Spondias mombin (Anacardiaceae) and P. guanacastense from Eutelia sp. (Noctuidae). Both fungi produce greenish conidial masses and orange pigments in agar culture, have smooth-walled, monoverticillate conidiophores with moderately vesiculate apices, and globose to subglobose conidia. The species morphologically resemble P. sclerotiorum but differ subtly in vesicle width and conidial shape.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.