Red yeasts from leaf surfaces and other habitats: three new species and a new combination of Symmetrospora (Pucciniomycotina, Cystobasidiomycetes)

Abstract

Our understanding of the systematics of red yeasts has greatly improved with the availability of sequence data and it is now clear that the majority of these fungi belong to three different classes of Pucciniomycotina (Basidiomycota): Agaricostilbomycetes, Cystobasidiomycetes, and Microbotryomycetes. Despite improvements in phylogenetic placement, the taxonomy of these fungi has long been in need of revision and still has not been entirely resolved, partly due to missing taxa. In the present study, we present data of culture-based environmental yeast isolation, revealing several undescribed species of Symmetrospora, which was recently introduced to accommodate six species previously placed in the asexual genera Sporobolomyces and Rhodotorula in the gracilis/marina clade of Cystobasidiomycetes. Based on molecular phylogenetic analyses of three rDNA loci, morphology, and biochemical studies, we formally describe the following new species: Symmetrospora clarorosea sp. nov. from leaf surfaces in Portugal and the USA; S. pseudomarina sp. nov. from leaf surfaces in Brazil, and the USA and decaying wood in the USA; and S. suhii sp. nov. from a beetle gut in the USA, leaf surfaces in Brazil and marine water in the Taiwan and Thailand. Finally, we propose a new combination for Sporobolomyces oryzicola based on our molecular phylogenetic data, Symmetrospora oryzicola comb. nov.

Isolation and Molecular Characterization of the Romaine Lettuce Phylloplane Mycobiome

“…Symmetrospora was introduced by Wang et al [ 31 ] for species that were previously placed in the polyphyletic red-yeast genera Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces of the “ gracilis / marina clade” [ 34 , 97 , 99 , 138 , 139 ]. Haelewaters et al [ 140 ] and Li et al [ 76 ] recently proposed four new species and a new combination of Symmetrospora , bringing the total to 11 recognized species. Symmetrospora is known in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia and species in the genus have been isolated from a wide diversity of habitats—leaf surfaces, air, marine water, beetle guts and a sea sponge [ 76 , 125 , 128 , 140 , 141 , 142 , 143 , 144 , 145 ].…”

“…Haelewaters et al [ 140 ] and Li et al [ 76 ] recently proposed four new species and a new combination of Symmetrospora , bringing the total to 11 recognized species. Symmetrospora is known in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia and species in the genus have been isolated from a wide diversity of habitats—leaf surfaces, air, marine water, beetle guts and a sea sponge [ 76 , 125 , 128 , 140 , 141 , 142 , 143 , 144 , 145 ]. Our two isolates were previously reported as S. cf.…”

“…Our two isolates were previously reported as S. cf. coprosma [ 140 ]. These isolates, HU9059 and HU9256, are most similar (99.48% identity) to the ex-type sequence of S. coprosmae (Hamam.…”

“…NR_073317 [ 32 ]) but seem to represent a distinct, undescribed species based on the phylogenetic reconstruction of an ITS dataset ( Figure 5 B). Formal description of this species is pending the characterization of morphology and physiology [ 140 , 146 ].…”

Inocybe brijunica sp. nov., a New Ectomycorrhizal Fungus from Mediterranean Croatia Revealed by Morphology and Multilocus Phylogenetic Analysis

“…Amplifications were done in 25 μL reactions, containing 12.5 μL of Promega 2× PCR Master Mix (Promega Co., Madison, WI, USA), 1.25 μL of each 10 μM primer, 9.0 μL of H 2 O, and 1.0 μL of template DNA. PCR conditions for nrSSU, ITS, and nrLSU followed Haelewaters et al [ 32 ]. For rpb2 , PCR conditions were as follows: initial denaturation at 95 °C for 5:00 min; followed by 40 cycles of denaturation at 95 °C for 30 s, annealing at 55 °C for 45 s, and extension at 72 °C for 45 s; and final extension at 72 °C for 7:00 min.…”