Cunninghamella verrucosa sp. nov. (Mucorales, Mucoromycota) from Guangdong Province in China

Abstract

Species of Cunninghamella are ubiquitous in soil, flower and plant debris. Its metabolites have various biological activities, such as antifungal and antibacterial functions. In this study, we describe a new species C. verrucosa from soil in Guangdong Province, China. This species is characterized by one to several broken pedicels on the surface of clavate vesicles, unbranched or simply branched sporangiophores, and globose sporangiola. Phylogenetic analyses strongly show that C. verrucosa is sister to C. clavata. Together with this new species, a total of 22 taxa, including 19 species and three varieties, has been described in Cunninghamella. Accordingly, an updated key to the taxa of Cunninghamella is also provided in this study.