title: AspergillussectionNidulantes(formerlyEmericella): Polyphasic taxonomy, chemistry and biology.
abstract: AspergillussectionNidulantesincludes species with striking morphological characters, such as biseriate conidiophores with brown-pigmented stipes, and if present, the production of ascomata embedded in masses of Hülle cells with often reddish brown ascospores. The majority of species in this section have a sexual state, which were namedEmericellain the dual name nomenclature system. In the present study, strains belonging to subgenusNidulanteswere subjected to multilocus molecular phylogenetic analyses using internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), partial β-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) sequences. Nine sections are accepted in subgenusNidulantesincluding the new sectionCavernicolus.A polyphasic approach using morphological characters, extrolites, physiological characters and phylogeny was applied to investigate the taxonomy of sectionNidulantes. Based on this approach, sectionNidulantesis subdivided in seven clades and 65 species, and 10 species are described here as new. Morphological characters including colour, shape, size, and ornamentation of ascospores, shape and size of conidia and vesicles, growth temperatures are important for identifying species. Many species of sectionNidulantesproduce the carcinogenic mycotoxin sterigmatocystin. The most important mycotoxins inAspergillussectionNidulantesare aflatoxins, sterigmatocystin, emestrin, fumitremorgins, asteltoxins, and paxillin while other extrolites are useful drugs or drug lead candidates such as echinocandins, mulundocandins, calbistrins, varitriols, variecolins and terrain. Aflatoxin B1is produced by four species:A. astellatus, A. miraensis, A. olivicola, andA. venezuelensis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, PR China; CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Biology, Søltofts Plads B. 221, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Frisvad
authors.affiliation: China General Microbiological Culture Collection Centre, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, PR China.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kocsubé
authors.affiliation: CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dijksterhuis
authors.affiliation: Division of Forest Environment Protection, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Korean Agricultural Culture Collection, National Institute of Agricultural Science, 166, Nongsaengmyeong-ro, Iseo-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, 55365, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: S-B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Houbraken
authors.affiliation: CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Samson
keywords: A. aurantiopurpureus A.J. Chen; A. botswanensis A.J. Chen; A. dromiae A.J. Chen; A. israelensis A.J. Chen; A. latilabiatus A.J. Chen; A. savannensis A.J. Chen; A. stercorarius A.J. Chen; A. sulphureoviridis A.J. Chen; A. viridicatenatus A.J. Chen; Ascomycetes; Aspergillus angustatus A.J. Chen; Eurotiales; Frisvad & Samson; Multi-gene phylogeny; Section Cavernicolus A.J. Chen, Frisvad & Samson; Sterigmatocystin