Torulaspora mapucheana M. Silva, F. Paraiso, D. Libkind & J. P. Sampaio 2025

Torulaspora mapucheana M. Silva, F. Paraíso, D. Libkind & J.P. Sampaio, sp. nov. MB 853980. Fig. 4P–R. Etymology: Torulaspora mapucheana. ma.pu’che.a.na, N.L. fem. adj. mapucheana, referring to Mapuche, the group of indigenous inhabitants of present-day south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. Typus: Argentina, Lanin National Park, Yuco, bark of Nothofagus obliqua, 2009, D. Libkind (holotype PYCC 9893H, ex-holotype cultures PYCC 9893, CBS 18512). 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_964263445. The version described in this paper is v. 1. 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 (1.5–4 µm) to sub-globose (4–5 × 2–3 µm) and occur singly or in pairs, and proliferation is by multilateral budding (Fig. 4P). On Dalmau plates after 2 wk at 25 °C, no pseudohyphae nor true hyphae are formed. Sexual reproduction is observed on acetate agar after 15 d at 20 °C and the cultures appear to be homothallic. Cellular extensions that resemble conjugation tubes are frequent and usually are not involved in conjugation (Fig. 4.Q). 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 2–3 µm diam. (Fig. 4R). The physiological and biochemical profile of the species in shown in Table 1 and Table S5. Habitat and distribution: This species was found in the arboreal niche, in association with Nothofagus spp. Cultures were isolated from the bark of Nothofagus obliqua and the fruiting body of Cyttaria harioti on N. antarctica. Currently known from collections in Patagonia, Argentina (Yuco and Los Rápidos, Nahuel Huapi natural park). Additional cultures examined: PYCC 9894, PYCC 9057 (see Table S1 for details).