Five novel Candida species in insect-associated yeast clades isolated from Neuroptera and other insects (original) (raw)

In a taxonomic study on the ascomycetous yeasts isolated from plant materials collected in tropical forests in Yunnan and Hainan Provinces, southern China, four strains isolated from tree sap (YJ2ET) and flowers (YF9ET, YWZH3CT and YYF2AT) were revealed to represent four undescribed yeast species. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the large subunit (26S) rRNA gene D1/D2 domain sequences showed that strain YJ2ET was located in a clade together with Candida haemulonii and C. pseudohaemulonii. Strain YF9ET was most closely related to C. azyma and strain YWZH3CT to C. sorbophila and C. spandovensis. Strain YYF2AT was clustered in a clade containing small-spored Metschnikowia species and related anamorphic Candida species. The new strains differed from their closely related described species by more than 10% mismatches in the D1/D2 domain. No sexual states were observed for the four strains on various sporulation media. The new species are therefore assigned to the genus Candida and described as Candida alocasiicola sp. nov. (type strain, YF9ET = AS 2.3484T = CBS 10702T), Candida hainanensis sp. nov. (type strain, YYF2AT = AS 2.3478T = CBS 10696T), Candida heveicola sp. nov. (type strain, YJ2ET = AS 2.3483T = CBS 10701T) and Candida musiphila sp. nov. (type strain, YWZH3CT = AS 2.3479T = CBS 10697T).