Metschnikowia henanensis sp. nov., a new anamorphic yeast species isolated from rotten wood in China

Four yeast strains were isolated from rotting wood samples collected from two sites in the Baotianman Nature Reserve and the Laojieling Nature Reserve in China. DNA sequence comparison and other taxonomic characteristics identified the strains as a single novel species of the genus Metschnikowia. The name Metschnikowia henanensis sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these highly divergent organisms with the type strain BY-97T (= CICC 1982T = CBS 12677T). The novel species produced chlamydospores, but it did not exhibit ascospore formation in sporulation media for 4 weeks. Molecular phylogeny from the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene sequences placed this new species in a basal position to the Metschnikowia viticola/Candida kofuensis/Metschnikowia noctiluminum subclade, and an undescribed Candida species namely strains IMB-EMP4 and IMB-EMP5 was a close sister to M. henanensis.