Diversity of Penicillium section Citrina within the fynbos biome of South Africa, including a new species from a Protea repens infructescence.

During a survey of the fynbos biome in the Western Cape of South Africa, 61 Penicillium species were isolated and nine belong to Penicillium section Citrina. Based on morphology and multigene phylogenies, section Citrina species were identified as P. cairnsense, P. citrinum, P. pancosmium, P. pasqualense, P. sanguifluum, P. sizovae, P. sumatrense and P. ubiquetum. One of the species displayed unique phenotypic characters and DNA sequences and is described here as P. sucrivorum. Multigene phylogenies consistently resolved the new species in a clade with P. aurantiacobrunneum, P. cairnsense, P. miczynksii, P. neomiczynskii and P. quebecense. However, ITS, ß-tubulin and calmodulin gene sequences are unique for P. sucrivorum and growth rates on various media, the ability to grow at 30 C, a positive Ehrlich reaction and the absence of sclerotia on all media examined, distinguish P. sucrivorum from all of its close relatives.

Five new Penicillium species in section Sclerotiora: a tribute to the Dutch Royal family.

Current literature accepts 17 species in Penicillium section Sclerotiora. Several produce colonies in bright yellow to orange colours and have monoverticillate conidiophores, apart from P. herquei, P. malachiteum and P. nodositatum, which are biverticillate. The focus of this paper is to refine the concepts of the species currently accepted in the section and introduce five new species, named after the Dutch Royal family as P. vanoranjei, P. maximae, P. amaliae, P. alexiae and P. arianeae. Penicillium vanoranjei produces orange (Dutch = oranje) colonies in culture, and is named after Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand, 'Zijne Koninklijke Hoogheid de Prins van Oranje' (translated from Dutch as: 'His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange') and his family, to coincide with his coronation. We review the current taxonomic positions of P. lilacinoechinulatum and P. nodositatum, both currently considered to be synonyms of P. bilaiae. Sequence data generated in this study show that both species are phylogenetically distinct. Penicillium lilacinoechinulatum is closely related to P. amaliae sp. nov., whereas P. nodositatum does not belong to Penicillium sensu stricto. All species were compared morphologically and phylogenetically, based on ß-tubulin and calmodulin DNA data. A table summarising the morphological characters of all species is included, together with photomicrographs and recommended DNA markers for identification.