Greenland and Svalbard glaciers host unknown basidiomycetes: the yeast sp. nov. and the dimorphic gen. and sp. nov.

Sampling campaigns in Greenland and Svalbard were executed to explore fungal diversity in cold habitats. Three very abundant groups of strains were discovered, consisting either of recently described or of yet-undescribed psychrophilic and oligotrophic yeasts and dimorphic fungi, accounting for around 50 % of the total cultivable diversity of basidiomycetes in our studies. The occurrence of these taxa has also been demonstrated by culture-independent methods. Based on phylogenetic analyses of ribosomal gene cluster sequences (D1/D2 domains of 28S (LSU), 18S (SSU), ITS with 5.8S rDNA) and sequences of protein-coding genes for elongation factor one alpha (), cytochrome b () and two subunits of the RNA polymerase II ( and ) obtained from pure cultures, the isolated taxa presented in this study belong to Basidiomycota, subphylum Pucciniomycotina, class Microbotryomycetes, family Camptobasidiaceae. The dataset of the sequences supported the recognition of three species: , sp. nov. (ex-type strain EXF-12713) and gen. and sp. nov. (ex-type strain EXF-13111). was found in the Svalbard and Greenland samples, while representatives of the here proposed new species, , were found only in the Greenland Ice Sheet. gen. nov. was erected for the dimorphic/filamentous isolates found in Svalbard and Greenland glacial environments. The taxon, for which the invalid name '' has been used, belongs to this genus. Based on ribosomal genes, and are related, phylogenetically most closely related to the genera and . Seven genes phylogeny restricted to taxa with available sequences, supported the placement of to Camptobasidiaceae.