title: Starmera pilosocereana sp. nov., a yeast isolated from necrotic tissue of cacti in a sandy coastal dune ecosystem.
abstract: Two strains of a novel cactophilic yeast species were isolated from the columnar cactus Pilosocereus arrabidae in a sand dune ecosystem in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Phylogenetic analysis of sequences of the large subunit rRNA gene D1/D2 domains showed that the strains represent a sister species to Starmera caribaea, from which it differs by 21 nt substitutions and two indels. The novel species is heterothallic and the asci are deliquescent with the formation of two to four hat-shaped ascospores. The name Starmera pilosocereana sp. nov. is proposed for the species. The type strain is UFMG-CM-Y316T ( = CBS 13266T) and the allotype is UFMG-CM-Y346a ( = CBS 13265). The Mycobank number is MB 810683. In addition, Candida stellimalicola belonging to the Starmera clade, is reassigned to Starmera as a new combination.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, ICB, C.P. 486, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo, Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
authors.forename: Larissa F D
authors.initials: LFD
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.affiliation: UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.affiliation: UCIBIO@REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: José Paulo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada.
authors.forename: Marc-André
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lachance
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, ICB, C.P. 486, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo, Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rosa
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D029421:Cactaceae / Q000382:microbiology*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D017753:Ecosystem; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D010802:Phylogeny; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D004718:Saccharomycetales / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal