Aspergillus similanensis sp. nov. from a marine sponge in Thailand

A new species of Aspergillus sect. Fumigati, A. similanensis, isolated from the marine sponge Rhabdermia sp. collected from a coral reef of the Similan Island, Phangnga province, Thailand, is described and illustrated. Aspergillus similanensis is characterized by production of finely reticulate ascospores with two low equatorial crests, a yellowish colony on malt extract agar, and extremely restricted growth on Czapek agar. The validation of this new species is further supported by sequence analyses of the β-tubulin, calmodulin, and actin genes.