Two New Sexual Talaromyces Species Discovered in Estuary Soil in China

In the survey of mycobiota of mudflats in China, two new sexually reproducing Talaromyces sect. Talaromyces species were discovered and studied using a polyphasic approach. These species are named here Talaromyces haitouensis (ex-type AS3.160101(T)) and Talaromyces zhenhaiensis (ex-type AS3.16102(T)). Morphologically, T. haitouensis is distinguished by moderate growth, green-yellow gymnothecia, orange-brown mycelium, and echinulate ellipsoidal ascospores. T. zhenhaiensis is characterized by fast growth, absence of sporulation, cream yellow to naphthalene yellow gymnothecia and mycelium, and smooth-walled ellipsoidal ascospores with one equatorial ridge. The two novelties are further confirmed by phylogenetic analyses based on either individual sequences of BenA, CaM, Rpb2, and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 or the concatenated BenA-CaM-Rpb2 sequences.