Spathaspora brunopereirae sp. nov. and Spathaspora domphillipsii sp. nov., two o- xylose- fermenting ascosporogenous yeasts from Amazonian Forest biomes

Four isolates of Spathaspora species were recovered from rotting wood collected in two Brazilian Amazonian biomes. The isolates produced unconjugated allantoid asci with a single elongated ascospore with curved ends. Sequence analysis of the ITS -5.8S region and the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene showed that the isolates represent two different novel Spathaspora species, phylogenetically related to Sp. boniae. Two isolates were obtained from rotting wood collected in two dif-ferent sites of the Amazonian forest in the state of Para. The name Spathaspora brunopereirae sp. nov. is proposed to accom-modate these isolates. The holotype of Spathaspora brunopereirae sp. nov. is CBS 16119T (MycoBank MB846672). The other two isolates were obtained from a region of transition between the Amazonian forest and the Cerrado ecosystem in the state of Tocantins. The name Spathaspora domphillipsii sp. nov. is proposed for this novel species. The holotype of Spathaspora domphil-lipsii sp. nov. is CBS 14229T (MycoBank MB846697). Both species are able to convert o-xylose into ethanol and xylitol, a trait with biotechnological applications.

Automated summary

Four isolates of novel Spathaspora species related to Sp. boniae were obtained from rotting wood in the Brazilian Amazonian area. Two isolates were named Spathaspora brunopereirae sp. nov., obtained from different sites in the Amazonian forest in Para state, while the other two isolates were named Spathaspora domphillipsii sp. nov., obtained from a transition zone between the Amazonian forest and Cerrado ecosystem in Tocantins state. Both species displayed the ability to convert O-xylose into ethanol and xylitol, which has biotechnological applications.