New Species and Eight Undescribed Species Belonging to the Families Aspergillaceae and Trichocomaceae in Korea

Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal two new Penicillium species isolated from the ancient Great Wall loess in Beijing, China

Introduction

Penicillium species exhibit a broad distribution in nature and play a crucial role in human and ecological environments.

Methods

Two Penicillium species isolated from the ancient Great Wall loess in the Mentougou District of Beijing, China, were identified and described as new species, namely, Penicillium acidogenicum and P. floccosum, based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of multiple genes including ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2 genes.

Results

Phylogenetic analyses showed that both novel species formed a distinctive lineage and that they were most closely related to P. chrzaszczii and P. osmophilum, respectively.

Discussion

Penicillium acidogenicum is characterized by biverticillate conidiophores that produce globose conidia and is distinguished from similar species by its capacity to grow on CYA at 30°C. Penicillium floccosum is typically recognized by its restricted growth and floccose colony texture. The description of these two new species provided additional knowledge and new insights into the ecology and distribution of Penicillium.

A review of recently introduced Aspergillus, Penicillium, Talaromyces and other Eurotiales species

The order Eurotiales is diverse and includes species that impact our daily lives in many ways. In the past, its taxonomy was difficult due to morphological similarities, which made accurate identification of species difficult. This situation improved and stabilised with recent taxonomic and nomenclatural revisions that modernised Aspergillus, Penicillium and Talaromyces. This was mainly due to the availability of curated accepted species lists and the publication of comprehensive DNA sequence reference datasets. This has also led to a sharp increase in the number of new species described each year with the accepted species lists in turn also needing regular updates. The focus of this study was to review the 160 species described between the last list of accepted species published in 2020 until 31 December 2022. To review these species, single-gene phylogenies were constructed and GCPSR (Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition) was applied. Multi-gene phylogenetic analyses were performed to further determine the relationships of the newly introduced species. As a result, we accepted 133 species (37 Aspergillus, two Paecilomyces, 59 Penicillium, two Rasamsonia, 32 Talaromyces and one Xerochrysium), synonymised 22, classified four as doubtful and created a new combination for Paraxerochrysium coryli, which is classified in Xerochrysium. This brings the number of accepted species to 453 for Aspergillus, 12 for Paecilomyces, 535 for Penicillium, 14 for Rasamsonia, 203 for Talaromyces and four for Xerochrysium. We accept the newly introduced section Tenues (in Talaromyces), and series Hainanici (in Aspergillus sect. Cavernicolarum) and Vascosobrinhoana (in Penicillium sect. Citrina). In addition, we validate the invalidly described species Aspergillus annui and A. saccharicola, and series Annuorum (in Aspergillus sect. Flavi), introduce a new combination for Dichlaena lentisci (type of the genus) and place it in a new section in Aspergillus subgenus Circumdati, provide an updated description for Rasamsonia oblata, and list excluded and recently synonymised species that were previously accepted. This study represents an important update of the accepted species lists in Eurotiales. Taxonomic novelties: New sections: Aspergillus section Dichlaena Visagie, Kocsubé & Houbraken. New series: Aspergillus series Annuorum J.J. Silva, B.T. Iamanaka, Frisvad. New species: Aspergillus annui J.J. Silva, M.H.P. Fungaro, Frisvad, M.H. Taniwaki & B.T. Iamanaka; Aspergillus saccharicola J.J. Silva, Frisvad, M.H.P. Fungaro, M.H. Taniwaki & B.T. Iamanaka. New combinations: Aspergillus lentisci (Durieu & Mont.) Visagie, Malloch, L. Kriegsteiner, Samson & Houbraken; Xerochrysium coryli (Crous & Decock) Visagie & Houbraken. Citation: Visagie CM, Yilmaz N, Kocsubé S, Frisvad JC, Hubka V, Samson RA, Houbraken J (2024). A review of recently introduced Aspergillus, Penicillium, Talaromyces and other Eurotiales species. Studies in Mycology 107: 1-66. doi: 10.3114/sim.2024.107.01.

Additions to the Knowledge of the Fungal Order Eurotiales in Korea: Eight Undescribed Species

Eurotiales is a relatively large order of Ascomycetes, well-known for their ability to produce secondary metabolites with potential beneficial applications. To understand their diversity and distribution, different environmental sources including soil, freshwater, insect, and indoor air were investigated. Eight strains of Eurotiales were isolated and identified based on their morphological characters and a multi-gene phylogenetic analysis of the ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2 regions. We identified eight taxa that were previously not reported from Korea: Aspergillus baeticus, A. griseoaurantiacus, A. spinulosporus, Penicillium anthracinoglaciei, P. labradorum, P. nalgiovense, Talaromyces atroroseus, and T. georgiensis. Detailed descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic tree for the eight new records species are presented, and information regarding the records is also discussed.

A New Species and Five New Records of Talaromyces (Eurotiales, Aspergillaceae) Belonging to Section Talaromyces in Korea

Talaromyces is a genus within the phylum Ascomycota (class Eurotiomycetes, order Eurotiales, family Trichocomaceae). Many species in this genus are known to produce diverse secondary metabolites with great potential for agricultural, medical, and pharmaceutical applications. During a survey on fungal diversity in the genus Talaromyces in Korea, six strains were isolated from soil, indoor air, and freshwater environments. Based on morphological, physiological, and multi-locus (ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2) phylogenetic analyses, we identified five previously unrecorded species in Korea (T. brevis, T. fusiformis, T. muroii, T. ruber, and T. soli) and a new species (T. echinulatus sp. nov.) belonging to section Talaromyces. Herein, detailed descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic tree are provided.

Culturable fungi from urban soils in China II, with the description of 18 novel species in Ascomycota (Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Leotiomycetes and Sordariomycetes)

As China's urbanisation continues to advance, more people are choosing to live in cities. However, this trend has a significant impact on the natural ecosystem. For instance, the accumulation of keratin-rich substrates in urban habitats has led to an increase in keratinophilic microbes. Despite this, there is still a limited amount of research on the prevalence of keratinophilic fungi in urban areas. Fortunately, our group has conducted in-depth investigations into this topic since 2015. Through our research, we have discovered a significant amount of keratinophilic fungi in soil samples collected from various urban areas in China. In this study, we have identified and characterised 18 new species through the integration of morphological and phylogenetic analyses. These findings reveal the presence of numerous unexplored fungal taxa in urban habitats, emphasising the need for further taxonomic research in urban China.

Draft Whole-Genome Sequence of Penicillium simplicissimum A4, a Putative Endophyte from Echium plantagineum

We report the draft whole-genome sequence of the putative endophytic fungus Penicillium simplicissimum A4, isolated from the roots of Echium plantagineum plants. The genome was sequenced using PacBio technology with an estimated genome size of 39 Mb.

Seven Undescribed Aspergillus Species from Different Niches in Korea

An investigation of species of the genus Aspergillus present in arthropod, freshwater, and soil led to the discovery of seven undescribed species in Korea. Based on their morphological characteristics and molecular phylogeny analyses using a combined data set of β-tubulin (BenA) and calmodulin (CaM) sequences, the isolated strains CNUFC IGS2-5, CNUFC YJ1-19, CNUFC WD27, CNUFC U8-70, CNUFC AS2-24, CNUFC S32-1, and CNUFC U7-48, were identified as Aspergillus brunneoviolaceus, A. capensis, A. floccosus, A. inflatus, A. parvulus, A. polyporicola, and A. spelaeus, respectively. In the present study, the detailed morphological descriptions and phylogenetic relationships of these species are provided.