Two Unrecoreded Species Belonging to Penicillium Section Exilicaulis in South Korea

Abstract

Penicillium in section Exilicaulis is characterized by non-vesiculate monoverticillate and biverticillate stipes. Species in sect. Exilicaulis are commonly found in soil and plants in terrestrial environments; however, only a few species have been reported in Korea. To investigate the diversity of Penicillium sect. Exilicaulis, Penicillium species were isolated from terrestrial and marine environments. Based on sequence analyses of β-tubulin, calmodulin, and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II loci, 19 strains of Penicillium in sect. Exilicaulis were identified as P. citreonigrum, P. citreosulfuratum, P. corylophilum, P. menonorum, P. rubefaciens, P. velutinum, Penicillium sp. 1, and Penicillium sp. 2. Two of them, P. citreonigrum and P. citreosulfuratum, were confirmed to be new to Korea. Molecular phylogenies and detailed descriptions of the two unrecorded species are provided.