Two novel aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus species from Argentinean peanuts

Abstract

Two novel species from Aspergillus section Flavi from different species of Arachis (peanuts) in Argentina are described as Aspergillus arachidicola sp. nov. and Aspergillus minisclerotigenes sp. nov. Their novel taxonomic status was determined using a polyphasic taxonomic approach with phenotypic (morphology and extrolite profiles) and molecular (β-tubulin and calmodulin gene sequences) characters. A. minisclerotigenes resembles Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parvisclerotigenus in producing aflatoxins B1 and B2, cyclopiazonic acid, kojic acid and aspergillic acid, but in addition it produces aflatoxins G1 and G2, aflavarins, aflatrem, aflavinines, parasiticolides and paspaline. This species also includes several isolates previously assigned to A. flavus group II and three Australian soil isolates. A. arachidicola produces aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2, kojic acid, chrysogine and parasiticolide, and some strains produce aspergillic acid. The type strain of A. arachidicola is CBS 117610T =IBT 25020T and that of A. minisclerotigenes is CBS 117635T =IBT 27196T. The Mycobank accession numbers for Aspergillus minisclerotigenes sp. nov. and Aspergillus arachidicola sp. nov. are respectively MB 505188 and MB 505189 (http://www.mycobank.org).