Sugiyamaella bielyi f. a., sp. nov. and Sugiyamaella amazoniana f. a., sp. nov., two yeast species isolated from passalid beetles and rotting wood in Amazonia

Abstract

Sixteen yeast isolates representing two novel species of the genus Sugiyamaella were obtained from passalid beetles, their galleries and rotting wood collected in three sites of Amazonian Forest in Brazil. Sequence analyses of the ITS-5.8S region and the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene showed that the first species, described here as Sugiyamaella amazoniana f. a., sp. nov. (holotype CBS 18112, MycoBank 847461) is phylogenetically related to S. bonitensis with these species differing by 37 nucleotide substitutions and six gaps in D1/D2 sequences. S. amazoniana is represented by nine isolates obtained from the guts of the passalid beetles Popilius marginatus, Veturius magdalenae, Veturius sinuosus and Spasalus aquinoi, a beetle gallery and rotting wood. The second species, Sugiyamaella bielyi f. a., sp. nov. (holotype CBS 18148, MycoBank 847463), is most phylogenetically related to several undescribed Sugiyamaella species. S. bielyi is described based on seven isolates obtained from the guts of V. magdalenae and V. sinuosus, a beetle gallery and rotting wood. Both species appear to be associated with passalid beetles and their ecological niches in Amazonian biome.

Yeasts from tropical forests: Biodiversity, ecological interactions, and as sources of bioinnovation

“…Other unpublished studies in the same biome showed that approximately 50% of the yeast species isolated from soil and passalid beetles represented candidates for novel species (A. R. O. Santos & C. A. Rosa, unpublished results;Souza et al, 2023).…”

“…Several ascomycetous and basidiomycetous yeasts are frequently isolated from tropical forest biomes, notably the large-spored Metschnikowia species, Carlosrosaea, S. cerevisiae, Spathaspora, Sugiyamaella, Starmerella, and Wickerhamiella species as well as others that occur at lower frequencies (Barbosa et al, 2018;de Vega et al, 2014;Lachance et al, 2020;Santos et al, 2015Santos et al, , 2018Santos et al, , 2023Souza et al, 2023). Below we will review the most important works done with these yeasts, discussing their distribution and interactions with other organisms.…”

“…This species occurs in the Amazonian rainforest in rotting wood or passalid beetles associated with this substrate. Another 20 species of Spathaspora are known (Souza et al, 2023) (Cadete & Rosa, 2018;Souza et al, 2023). This geographical distribution may be related to the presence of different insect vectors, probably passalid beetles, in each region.…”

“…Wood-ingesting passalid beetles and rotting wood have been suggested as habitats for many species of the genus Sugiyamaella (Souza et al, 2023;Urbina et al, 2013). Passalids are commonly found in fallen tree trunks, and in these habitats, the beetles find food, shelter, and conditions for breeding (Figure 5).…”

“…Many species of Sugiyamaella are xylanase producers, an ability that could confer an adaptative advantage in the colonization of the gut of beetles inhabiting rotting wood (Sena et al, 2017). The genus accommodates 35 species, most of which have been isolated from insects that inhabit rotting wood, rotten lignocellulosic materials, soil, mushrooms, or peat (Souza et al, 2023). Urbina et al (2013) described the species Su.…”