Description of Deakozyma peteri sp. nov., a yeast isolated from substrates of neotropical regions

Seven isolates of a candidate of a novel yeast species were isolated from various substrates in three neotropical countries. The substrates included rotting wood, fruit, soil and mushrooms in Brazil, an agave necrosis in Mexico and an oak sap flux in Costa Rica. Analysis of barcode sequences showed that the novel species is related to Candida bentonensis , but a divergence of 16–19 substitutions in the D1/D2 domains of the LSU rRNA gene shows that the two are distinct species. Phylogenomic studies have shown that C. bentonensis belongs to the Deakozyma clade. The novel species is polymorphic and heterogeneous at several sites in the D1/D2 domains. Our taxogenomic analysis confirmed both that the novel species should be assigned to the genus Deakozyma and that it is distinct from C. bentonensis . The name Deakozyma peteri sp. nov. (MycoBank MB862524) is proposed for the novel species. The holotype of D. peteri sp. nov. is CBS 14242 (isotype UFMG-CM-Y2876).