sp. nov., a novel yeast species associated with Bengal clock vines and soil in Okinawa, Japan.

Two strains, designated JCM 36746 and JCM 36749, were isolated from Bengal clock vine () and soil, respectively, in Okinawa, Japan. Analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene sequences revealed identical sequences in both strains, indicating that they belong to the same species. Sequence analysis and physiological characterization identified these strains as representing a novel yeast species in the genus . The sequence similarities of the concatenated ITS regions and D1/D2 domains indicated that JCM 36746 and JCM 36749 formed a well-supported distinct from closely related species belonging to the clade, including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and three undescribed species, comprising aff. / Y151, sp. GE19S08, and sp. strain NYNU 22830. The sequences of the D1/D2 domains and ITS regions differed in nucleotide substitutions by 1.51% and 2.57% or greater, respectively, from those of the previously described and undescribed related species. In addition, the physiological characteristics of the novel species were distinct from those of the closely related described species. On the basis of these findings, we propose the name sp. nov. to classify this species within the genus . The holotype used is JCM 36746 (ex-type strains CBS 18614 and NBRC 116657). The MycoBank accession number is MB 853823.