Komagataella kurtzmanii sp. nov., a new sibling species of Komagataella (Pichia) pastoris based on multigene sequence analysis.

A novel methanol assimilating yeast species Komagataella kurtzmanii is described using the type strain VKPM Y-727 (=KBP Y-2878 = UCD-FST 76-20 = Starmer #75-208.2 = CBS 12817 = NRRL Y-63667) isolated by W.T. Starmer from a fir flux in the Catalina Mountains, Southern AZ, USA. The new species is registered in MycoBank under MB 803919. The species was differentiated by divergence in gene sequences for D1/D2 LSU rRNA, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, RNA polymerase subunit I, translation elongation factor-1α and mitochondrial small subunit rRNA. K. kurtzmanii differs from its phenotypically similar sibling species Komagataella pastoris, Komagataella pseudopastoris, Komagataella phaffii, Komagataella populi and Komagataella ulmi by absence of growth at 35 °C and inability to assimilate trehalose.