A new Penicillium section Citrina species and series from India

Abstract

This study introduces a new Penicillium species isolated from soil in Yavatmal, India. Penicillium sanjayi sp. nov. is classified in Penicillium section Citrina. The new species is delimited using phenotypic characters and sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA regions, partial beta-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) region. Phylogenetic analyses consistently resolved the new species in a well-delineated clade with its close relative P. vascosobrinhoanum (originally published as P. vascosobrinhous), distinct from all other series of section Citrina. As a result, we introduce the series Vascosobrinhoana for this unique lineage. Key distinguishing characteristics such as greyish ruby to ruby centre of colonies (obverse) on malt extract agar (MEA), presence of cream colour sclerotia on oatmeal agar (OA), growth rates on standardised media, growth at 30 °C but lack of growth at 37 °C, additional microscopic characters such as solitary or rarely with a subterminal branch other than predominant monoverticillate penicilli, and conspicuously roughened to verruculose conidial ornamentation distinguish the new species P. sanjayi from other monoverticillate section Citrina species.