Kwoniella shandongensis sp. nov., a basidiomycetous yeast isolated from soil and bark from an apple orchard.

Four basidiomycetous yeast strains (Y13-1(T), Y2-1, Y6-3 and Y8-2) were isolated from soil and bark collected from an apple orchard in Tai'an, Shandong province, PR China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 26S rRNA gene D1/D2 domains and ITS regions revealed that these novel strains were located in the Kwoniella clade in the class Tremellomycetes and were closely related to Cryptococcus cuniculi and Kwoniella heveanensis, but were clearly distinct from these species. Therefore, it is proposed that the new strains represent a novel species, Kwoniella shandongensis sp. nov., with the type strain Y13-1(T)(=CGMCC 2.04458(T)=CBS 12478(T)). The MycoBank number for the novel species is MB 564868.