Talaromyces qii, a New Record of a Rare Talaromyces from the Northern Western Ghats, India

Abstract

In this study, Talaromyces qii belonging to the section Talaromyces is reported as a new record from India based on the morphology and phylogenetic analyses of four gene datasets viz. ITS, BenA, CaM, and rpb2. This is the second report of this rare Talaromyces species from across the world. Phylogenetically, the Indian strain T. qii (NFCCI 5151) formed a sister lineage to the type species T. qii (AS3 15414) due to the sequencing error in the type. The quality assessment of the four gene sequences derived from all type strains of section Talaromyces in this study evaded the proposal of a redundant novelty in this section, aligning the Indian strain NFCCI 5151 along with T. qii (AS3 15414). Morphology of type strain T. qii (AS3 15414) and T. qii (NFCCI 5151) are mostly identical, viz. elongated, biverticillate-symmetrical conidiophores, acerose phialides, and ellipsoidal or sub-globose conidia with echinulate ornamentation. However, the Indian strain has longer conidiophores and a larger conidia size than type strain T. qii and T. thailandensis. This study resolved the phylogeny of a new record of Talaromyces qii in the section Talaromyces from India through the most modern taxonomic approaches.