Four new species of Pichia (Pichiales, Pichiaceae) isolated from China

The genus <i>Pichia</i> belonging to the family Pichiaceae is widely distributed worldwide and has garnered significant attention due to its importance in various industries and its potential role in human infections. During our investigation of yeast diversity in China, several strains representing undescribed taxa were isolated from forests in Hainan province, Hubei province, Beijing city and a mudflat in Guangdong province. Based on phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA, these strains were identified as four new species: <i>Pichiakregeriana</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> (holotype strain CGMCC 2.7383^T), <i>P.phaffii</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> (holotype strain CGMCC 2.8239^T), <i>P.ureolytica</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> (holotype strain CGMCC 2.6825^T) and <i>P.wuzhishanensis</i> f.a. <b>sp. nov.</b> (holotype strain CGMCC 2.7381^T). The six strains of <i>P.ureolytica</i> were identified as positive for urease production. This phenomenon is extremely rare in the genus <i>Pichia</i>, as only <i>P.bovicola</i> is reported to exhibit weak urease activity.