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Open Access A new Paecilomyces from wooden utility poles in South Africa

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During a survey of fungi on electricity utility poles in South Africa, a diverse range of fungi were discovered. Paecilomyces was frequently isolated, with five species identified using ITS and β-tubulin (BenA) sequences. These were P. brunneolus, P. dactylethromorphus, P. lecythidis, P. paravariotii and a potential new species. The genomes of 30 of these strains were subsequently sequenced and used in a phylogenomic analysis with 45 previously published genomes of the genus. Phylogenetic analyses were also conducted using ITS, BenA, calmodulin (CaM), RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), RNA polymerase II largest subunit (RPB1), the genes coding for the theta subunit of the TCP-1 chaperonin complex (Cct8), and for a putative ribosome biogenesis protein (Tsr1). Both phylogenomic and phylogenetic analyses supported the 15 Paecilomyces species currently accepted and confirmed the novelty of the new species, which we describe as P. lignorum. The latter is the sister species of P. brunneolus and belongs to a clade also containing P. variotii and P. paravariotii. Morphologically, the new species produces longer ellipsoidal conidia and grows more restricted on malt extract agar at 30 °C compared to its closest relatives.

Keywords: BYSSOCHLAMYS; EUROTIALES; GCPSR; MULTIGENE PHYLOGENY; NEW TAXON; THERMOASCACEAE

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa 2: Crop Protection, Agricultural Research Council - Vegetable, Industrial and Medicinal Plants, Private Bag X293, Pretoria, 0001, Pretoria, South Africa

Publication date: June 1, 2024

This article was made available online on June 12, 2024 as a Fast Track article with title: "A new Paecilomyces from wooden utility poles in South Africa".

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  • Fungal Systematics and Evolution is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access, full colour, fast-track journal. Papers will include reviews, research articles, methodology papers, taxonomic monographs, and the description of fungi. The journal strongly supports good practice policies, and requires voucher specimens to be deposited in a fungarium, cultures in long-term genetic resource collection, sequences in GenBank, alignments in TreeBASE, and taxonomic novelties in MycoBank.
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