Occultifur tropicalis f.a., sp. nov., a novel cystobasidiomycetous yeast species isolated from tropical regions.

Five strains representing a single novel anamorphic yeast species were isolated from sugar cane. Two strains were from tissue (DMKU-SE38, DMKU-SE59(T)) and two from the external surface (DMKU-SP385, DMKU-SP403) of leaves collected in Thailand and the fifth (IMUFRJ 52020) from the rhizoplane of sugar cane in an organically cultivated field in Brazil. On the basis of sequence analysis of the D1/D2 region of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, they were classified as representing a single species of the genus Occultifur. The sequences of the D1/D2 region of the LSU rRNA genes and the ITS regions of the five strains were either identical or differed from each other by only one nucleotide substitution. The novel species was related most closely to Occultifur brasiliensis f.a. CBS 12687(T) but with 0.7-1.0% nucleotide substitutions (4-6 nt) in the D1/D2 region of the LSU rRNA gene and 2.5-2.7% nucleotide substitutions (14-15 nt) in the ITS region. The name Occultifur tropicalis f.a., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DMKU-SE59(T) ( =BCC 61184(T) =NBRC 109696(T) =CBS 13389 (T)).