AUTHOR=Villanueva Pablo , Vásquez Ghislaine , Gil-Durán Carlos , Oliva Vicente , Díaz Anaí , Henríquez Marlene , Álvarez Eduardo , Laich Federico , Chávez Renato , Vaca Inmaculada 

TITLE=Description of the First Four Species of the Genus Pseudogymnoascus From Antarctica

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.713189

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2021.713189

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>The genus <italic>Pseudogymnoascus</italic> represents a diverse group of fungi widely distributed in different cold regions on Earth. Our current knowledge of the species of <italic>Pseudogymnoascus</italic> is still very limited. Currently, there are only 15 accepted species of <italic>Pseudogymnoascus</italic> that have been isolated from different environments in the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, species of <italic>Pseudogymnoascus</italic> from the Southern Hemisphere have not yet been described. In this work, we characterized four fungal strains obtained from Antarctic marine sponges. Based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses and morphological characterizations we determined that these strains are new species, for which the names <italic>Pseudogymnoascus antarcticus</italic> sp. nov., <italic>Pseudogymnoascus australis</italic> sp. nov., <italic>Pseudogymnoascus griseus</italic> sp. nov., and <italic>Pseudogymnoascus lanuginosus</italic> sp. nov. are proposed. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the new species form distinct lineages separated from other species of <italic>Pseudogymnoascus</italic> with strong support. The new species do not form sexual structures and differ from the currently known species mainly in the shape and size of their conidia, the presence of chains of arthroconidia, and the appearance of their colonies. This is the first report of new species of <italic>Pseudogymnoascus</italic> not only from Antarctica but also from the Southern Hemisphere.</p>