Rhodotorula subericola sp. nov., an anamorphic basidiomycetous yeast species isolated from bark of Quercus suber (cork oak)

Two yeasts strains, Y-31(T) and Y-20B, pertaining to a previously unknown yeast species were isolated from bark of cork oak in Spain. Physiological characterization revealed a pattern of assimilation of carbon and nitrogen compounds compatible with members of the genus Rhodotorula. From sequence analysis of the D1/D2 region of the 26S rRNA gene, Rhodotorula cycloclastica and Rhodotorula philyla were related to the unknown species. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on the D1/D2 region of the 26S rRNA gene showed that the novel species clustered in a branch together with R. cycloclastica. The name Rhodotorula subericola sp. nov. is proposed, with isolate Y-31(T) (=CECT 11976(T)=CBS 10442(T)) the type strain of this novel taxon in the Microbotryum lineage, subclass Microbotryomycetidae, class Urediniomycetes of basidiomycetous yeasts.