Saturnispora galanensis sp. nov., a yeast species isolated from rotting wood

Three strains of a novel yeast species were isolated from rotting wood in the Xishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest, Yunnan Province, PR China. Sequence analysis of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions showed that the novel species represents a member of the genus Saturnispora. It differed from its closest known species, Saturnispora sekii CBS 10931(T), by 1.3% nucleotide substitutions in the D1/D2 domains and by 2.2% nucleotide substitutions in the ITS regions, respectively. In contrast to Saturnispora sekii, the novel yeast species was unable to assimilate glycerol, DL-lactate, succinate and citrate, and grow at 37 degrees C. The name Saturnispora galanensis sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these strains, with NYNU 1797 as the holotype.