Torulaspora kanakia M. Silva, F. Paraiso, A. Pontes, P. Goncalves, F. Carriconde & J. P. Sampaio 2025

Torulaspora kanakia M. Silva, F. Paraíso, A. Pontes, P. Gonçalves, F. Carriconde & J.P. Sampaio, sp. nov. MB 853861. Fig. 4M–O. Etymology: Torulaspora kanakia. ka.na’ki.a, N.L. app. n. kanakia, pertaining to Kanak, the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia, the island where the new species was found. Typus: New Caledonia, Mont Kogis, forest soil, 2014, J.P. Sampaio (holotype PYCC 8417H, ex-holotype cultures PYCC 8417, CBS 18511). The holotype is permanently maintained in a metabolically inactive state in the Portuguese Yeast Culture Collection, Caparica, Portugal. The genome of this species was deposited at DDBJ /ENA/GenBank under the accession GCA_931302125. The version described in this paper is version one. Description: After 1 wk on YM agar at 25 °C, cultures are smooth, cream-coloured, and butyrous. After 3 d of growth on YM agar at 25 °C, cells are globose (4–5.5 µm) to sub-globose (4–6 × 3–5 µm) and occur singly or in pairs, and proliferation is by multilateral budding (Fig. 4M). On Dalmau plates after 2 wk at 25 °C, no pseudohyphae nor true hyphae are formed. Sexual reproduction is observed on acetate agar after 7 d at 20 °C, and the cultures appear to be homothallic. Cellular extensions that resemble conjugation tubes are conspicuous and exceptionally long, reaching 8 µm (Fig. 4N). Asci are persistent and normally are formed after conjugation involving a cell and its bud. Asci produce one to two smooth and spherical ascospores, measuring 2.5–3.5 µm diam. (Fig. 4O). The physiological and biochemical profile of the species in shown in Table 1 and Table S5. Habitat and distribution: This species was found in forest soil in New Caledonia. Additional cultures examined: PYCC 9027, PYCC 8418, PYCC 9025, PYCC 9026 (see Table S1 for details).