Sp. Nov., a Novel Yeast Species Isolated from Nipa ( Wurmb.) Inflorescence Sap in Southern Thailand

Two strains (YSP-384 and YSP-399), representing a novel species, were isolated from two nipa inflorescence sap samples collected in Trang province in the southern part of Thailand. The two strains had identical sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. The two strains were closest to CBS 10694, but with 1.1 % nucleotide substitutions in the D1/D2 domains of the LSU rRNA gene and 5.2 % nucleotide substitutions in the ITS regions. Phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated sequences of the ITS regions and the D1/D2 domains of the LSU rRNA gene supported that the two strains represented a distinct species in the genus . Some phenotypic characteristics of the two strains differed from including the two strains have ability to assimilate d-xylose, d-glucono-δ-lactone and melizitose, and inability to ferment maltose and raffinose, whereas has opposite results. Therefore, the two strains are described as representing a novel species, for which the name sp. nov. was proposed.