Kurtzmaniella gen. nov. and description of the heterothallic, haplontic yeast species Kurtzmaniella cleridarum sp. nov., the teleomorph of Candida cleridarum.

The teleomorph of Candida cleridarum was discovered through the detection of conjugation between isolates of a large collection from the nitidulid beetles of the genus Carpophilus found in the flowers of various cacti in Arizona, USA. The previous oversight of the sexual cycle of this yeast is attributed to the inequality (ca. 5 : 1) of the two mating types. Extensive conjugation between compatible mating types is observed after overnight incubation on 5 % malt agar, followed after 3-5 days by the formation of mature asci. The hat-shaped ascospores are reminiscent of those seen in Kodamaea species, which are members of the same guild. However, published analyses of D1/D2 large subunit rDNA sequences indicate an affinity with the genus Debaryomyces. As the latter is polyphyletic and morphologically heterogeneous, and in view of the distinct life cycle of the new teleomorph, the new genus Kurtzmaniella is described with a novel species, Kurtzmaniella cleridarum sp. nov. Given the close relatedness of Kurtzmaniella cleridarum sp. nov. to Candida quercitrusa, Candida oleophila and Candida railenensis, for which several natural isolates were available, strains of these species were mixed in pairs under the conditions found favourable for the former. Conjugation was not detected in those species. The type strain of Kurtzmaniella cleridarum sp. nov. is UWOPS 99-101.1(T) (=CBS 8793(T)=NRRL Y-48386(T), h(+)), type of Candida cleridarum. The allotype is UWOPS 07-123.1 (=CBS 10688=NRRL Y-48387, h(-)).