, a new genus of endolichenic oleaginous black yeast recovered from the Inner Mongolia Region of China.

Black yeasts are a phylogenetically diverse group of ascomycetous fungi that may exist in both unicellular and mycelial morphs. This group of fungi contains numerous commercially significant species as well as others whose precise roles are unknown, such as endolichenic species. There is currently a paucity of data about endolichenic black yeast species. To bridge this gap, we surveyed China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in July 2019. Several fungal species associated with diverse lichens were isolated during this survey. Among these were two isolates of a previously unknown species of oleaginous black yeast from . Analyses of morphological and molecular data revealed that these two isolates were closely related to (), although with significant differences. As a result, we established the genus to describe this previously unknown species, In addition, we used Transmission Electron Microscopy to visualise the intracellular oil bodies metabolised by this fungus in its unicellular state. The black yeast species identified in this study may have a wide range of commercial applications. More research is needed to determine the chemical composition of the microbial oil synthesized by this fungus and whether it has commercial value. Chang R, Cao W, Wang Y, Li S, Li X, Bose T, Si HL (2022). , a new genus of endolichenic oleaginous black yeast recovered from the Inner Mongolia Region of China. : 1-9. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2022.09.01.