200 years of taxonomic confusion: Sporendonema and allies


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Kandemir H., Decock C., Hernández-Restrepo M., Labuda R., Houbraken J., Ilkit M., ...More

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology, vol.117, no.1, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 117 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s10482-024-01935-3
  • Journal Name: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, Biotechnology Research Abstracts, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, Environment Index, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Veterinary Science Database
  • Keywords: Arachniotus, Cheese fungi, Halotolerance, Onygenales, Sphaerosporium, Taxonomy
  • Çukurova University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The genus Sporendonema (Gymnoascaceae, Onygenales) was introduced in 1827 with the type species S. casei for a red mould on cheese. Cheese is a consistent niche for this species. Sphaerosporium equinum is another species classified in Gymnoascaceae and has also been reported from cheese. Recently, other habitats have been reported for both Sporendonema casei and Sphaerosporium equinum. The present study aimed to investigate the taxonomy of Sporendonema and Sphaerosporium, as well as a close neighbour, Arachniotus. Two strains of Hormiscium aurantiacum, another related cheese-associated species were also included in the analyses. Strains were evaluated in terms of macro- and micromorphology, physiology including salt tolerance, growth rate at different temperatures, casein degradation, cellulase activity, lipolytic activity, and multi-locus phylogeny with sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region, the D1-D2 region of the large subunit and partial β-tubulin locus sequences. The results showed that the analysed species were congeneric, and the generic names Arachniotus and Sphaerosporium should be reduced to the synonymy of Sporendonema. Therefore, four new combinations as well as one lectotype and one epitype were designated in Sporendonema. Two strains attributed to Sphaerosporium equinum from substrates other than cheese were found to be phylogenetically and morphologically deviant and were introduced as a new species named Sporendonema isthmoides.