Spathaspora boniae sp. nov., a D-xylose-fermenting species in the Candida albicans/Lodderomyces clade

Abstract

Two yeast isolates producing asci-containing elongate ascospores with curved ends typical of the genus Spathaspora were isolated from rotting wood samples collected in an Atlantic rainforest ecosystem in Brazil. Phylogenetic analysis of the LSU rRNA gene D1/D2 domain sequences demonstrated that the strains represent a new species and placed it next to Candida blackwellae, in a clade that also contains Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis. Other sequences of the ribosomal gene cluster supported same placementin the same clade, and a phylogenomic analysis placed this new species in an early emerging position relative to the larger C. albicans/Lodderomyces clade. One interpretation is that the genus Spathaspora is, in fact, paraphyletic. In conformity with this view, we propose the novel species Spathaspora boniae sp. nov. to accommodate the isolates. The type strain of Spathaspora boniae sp. nov. is UFMG-CM-Y306 (=CBS 13262). The MycoBank number is MB 821297. A detailed analysis of xylose metabolism was conducted for the new species.

The yeasts of the genus Spathaspora: potential candidates for second‐generation biofuel production

“…allomyrinae and Sp. boniae are weakly associated with this clade based on D1/D2 sequences (Daniel et al ., ; Lopes et al ., ; Morais et al ., ; Fig. ).…”

“…Morais et al . () proposed the new species Sp. boniae based on two isolates producing asci containing elongate ascospores with curved ends typical of the genus Spathaspora .…”

“…allomyrinae , it normalized the position of the genus Debaryomyces , and Morais et al . () suggested that the genus Spathaspora , as currently defined, is paraphyletic. Lachance () reported that careful examination of the tree of life shows that paraphyly is widespread, and that the divergence of higher taxa is rarely symmetrical, but often involves divergence of a small subset away from a stem group, leaving the latter paraphyletic.…”

Genome analysis of the yeast Diutina catenulata, a member of the Debaryomycetaceae/Metschnikowiaceae (CTG-Ser) clade

“…Species within the Lodderomyces clade in the Debaryomycetaceae/Metschnikowiaceae are surrounded with a gray box. The exact definition of the Lodderomyces clade is not clear, and it may include Spathaspora species [ 48 ]. The branch supports show Bayesian Posterior Probabilities.…”

Starmera foglemanii sp. nov. and Starmera ilhagrandensis sp. nov., two novel yeast species isolated from ephemeral plant substrates

“…Preparation of the hydrolysate culture medium and yeast isolation were as described by Morais et al . [10]. Different yeast morphotypes were purified and maintained in liquid nitrogen for later identification.…”