title: Description of Bullera kunmingensis sp. nov., and clarification of the taxonomic status of Bullera sinensis and its synonyms based on molecular phylogenetic analysis.
abstract: A ballistoconidium-forming yeast strain, CH 2.506, isolated from a semi-dried leaf of Parthenocissus sp. collected near Kunming City in Yunnan, China, was shown to be closely related to the non-ballistoconidium-forming species Cryptococcus luteolus (Saito) C.E. Skinner and the ballistoconidium-forming species Bullera sinensis Li by molecular phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rDNA sequencing. This strain was demonstrated to represent a distinct undescribed yeast species by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequence and G+C content comparison and DNA-DNA relatedness, for which the name Bullera kunmingensis sp. nov. is proposed. Meanwhile, the taxonomic relationships among Bullera sinensis and its synonyms B. derxii Nakase & Suzuki and B. alba (Hanna) Derx var. lactis Li, were clarified on the basis of molecular phylogenetic analysis and DNA-DNA reassociation. B. derxii was confirmed to be conspecific with B. sinensis, while B. alba var. lactis was shown to represent a variety of B. sinensis. A new combination, Bullera sinensis Li var. lactis (Li) Bai, Takashima et Nakase, is therefore proposed. Comparative analysis of different types of molecular criteria employed in the present study suggested that when inferring phylogenetic relationships among sibling taxa, sequence data from ITS regions should be interpreted with caution.
authors.affiliation: Systematic Mycology and Lichenology Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China. baify@sun.im.ac.cn
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takashima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakase
mesh_terms: D001482:Base Composition; D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002681:China; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000032:analysis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D010802:Phylogeny; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D012340:RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; D012340:RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S