Six new methanol assimilating yeast species from wood material.

Ten yeast strains representing six hitherto unknown methanol utilizing yeast species were isolated from tree exudate, bark and rotten wood samples. Following the sequencing of the D1/D2 region of their large (26S) subunit rDNA, the four ascosporogenous species were assigned to the genus Pichia, and the two anascosporogenous ones to the genus Candida. Although genetically clearly separated, three of the four new Pichia species are phenotypically very similar to P. pini, and they can be differentiated only by minor physiological and morphological characteristics. The description is given for the six new species (C. suzukii, C. hungarica, P. trehaloabstinens, P. pilisensis, P. dorogensis and P. zsoltii).