Limtongozyma siamensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a yeast species in the Saccharomycetales and reassignment of Candida cylindracea to the genus Limtongozyma

Two yeast strains, DMKU-WBL1-3 and DMKU GT3-16, were obtained from grease samples collected from grease traps at the Kasetsart University canteen, Thailand. Pairwise sequence analysis indicated that the strains were closely related to Candida cylindracea NRRL Y-17506(T), but differed by 11 and 35 nucleotide substitutions in the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene and the ITS region, respectively. Based on sequence divergences, the novel species was distinguished from C. cylindracea. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated sequences from small subunit rRNA, ITS region and LSU rRNA genes showed that the two strains and C. cylindracea NRRL Y-17506(T) formed a distinct lineage related to the genus Babjeviella. A novel genus, Limtongozyma, is proposed to accommodate these clade members. Hence, Candida cylindracea NRRL Y-17506(T) is transferred to this genus and assigned as the type species of the genus. The holotype of Limtongozyma siamensis is DMKU-WBL1-3.