A new species of Gloeandromyces from Ecuador and Panama revealed by morphology and phylogenetic reconstruction, with a discussion of secondary barcodes in Laboulbeniomycetes taxonomy.

This paper describes and illustrates a new species of Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniomycetes) recovered from Mastoptera guimaraesi bat flies (Diptera, Streblidae) in Ecuador and Panama. Bat fly-associated Laboulbeniales are still unexplored in the Neotropics, with only four described species of Gloeandromyces and one species of Nycteromyces known. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses support placement of the new taxon in Gloeandromyces and its recognition as an undescribed species. Gloeandromyces hilleri sp. nov. is easily recognized by 2-3 longitudinal rows of undulations at its perithecial venter. Phylogenetic reconstructions of the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA and the translation elongation factor 1α (TEF1) both resolve G. hilleri and G. nycteribiidarum as sister species. We discuss the utility of LSU and TEF1 as secondary barcodes in Laboulbeniomycetes taxonomy.

Metahyphopichia laotica gen. nov., sp. nov., a polymorphic yeast related to Hyphopichia.

Four strains alternating between yeast and filamentous growth morphologies were isolated from flowers in two regions of Laos. In liquid environment the isolates propagated by budding and developed irregularly shaped pseudohyphae. On solid media, their yeast cells switched to hyphal growth which could return to the yeast phase by developing lateral blastoconidia. The sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (LSU) 26S rRNA genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the small subunit (SSU) 18S rRNA genes were identical in the four strains and differed from the corresponding sequences of other yeast species available in databases by at least 11 % (D1/D2), 13 % (ITS) and 7 % (SSU). In an independent project, two strains with D1/D2 and ITS sequences very similar to those of the Laotian strains were found in bark samples collected in Brazil. The six strains also differed from the closest yeast species in physiological properties, indicating that they represented a hitherto undescribed species. Phylogenetic analysis of the D1/D2 sequences, and the concatenated sequences of the SSU rRNA genes, D1/D2 domains of LSU rRNA genes as well as the protein-encoding genes ACT1 and TEF1 placed thestrains close to Hyphopichia. To reflect this position, the novel genus name Metahyphopichia gen. nov. and the novel species name Metahyphopichia laotica gen. nov., sp. nov. are proposed for them. The type strain of the type species is 11-1006T(=CBS 13022T=CCY 092-001-001T=NCAIM Y.02126T) and was isolated in Luang Prabang (Laos). MycoBank registration numbers are MB 808253 (Metahyphopichia) and MB 808254 (Metahyphopichia laotica).