Reclassification of Graphium tectonae as Parascedosporium tectonae gen. nov., comb. nov., Pseudallescheria africana as Petriellopsis africana gen. nov., comb. nov. and Pseudallescheria fimeti as Lophotrichus fimeti comb. nov.

Abstract

During a biodiversity survey of Argentinian soil fungi, we recovered a rare Scedosporium-like fungus which was proven to be genetically and morphologically different from known species of Scedosporium (anamorph of Pseudallescheria) and relatives and is proposed here as representing a new genus. This genus is mainly characterized by producing sympodial conidia from denticulate conidiogenous cells. This isolate was morphologically identical to Graphium tectonae and thus the new combination Parascedosporium tectonae gen. nov., comb. nov. is proposed. Sequence analysis of four regions of three genes, i.e. β-tubulin (two loci), calmodulin and the internal transcribed spacer region of the 5.8S rRNA, confirmed our proposal. Both the phylogenetic analysis and morphological studies excluded Pseudallescheria africana and Pseudallescheria fimeti from the genus Pseudallescheria. The former is proposed as a member of the new genus Petriellopsis, and the latter has been accommodated in Lophotrichus. The type strains of Parascedosporium tectonae gen. nov., comb. nov., Petriellopsis africana gen. nov., comb. nov. and Lophotrichus fimeti comb. nov. are respectively CBS 127.84T, CBS 311.72T and CBS 129.78T.