Abstract:
In the course of an on-going study aimed at cataloguing the natural yeast biodiversity found in Ecuador, two strains (CLQCA 13-025 and CLQCA 20-004) were isolated from samples of cow manure and rotten wood collected in two separate provinces of the country (Orellana and Bolivar). These strains were found to represent a novel yeast species based on the sequences of their D1/D2 domain of the large-subunit (LSU) rRNA gene and their physiological characteristics. Phylogenetic analysis based on LSU D1/D2 sequences revealed this novel species to belong to the Metschnikowia clade and to be most closely related to Candida suratensis, a species recently discovered in a mangrove forest in Thailand. The species name of Candida ecuadorensis sp.nov. is proposed to accommodate these strains, with strain CLQCA 20-004 (=CBS 12653 =NCYC 3782) designated as the type strain.
