Lichenia svalbardensis Zeyu Tang & Fang Peng, 2025

Lichenia svalbardensis Zeyu Tang & Fang Peng sp. nov.

Fig. 2 View Figure 2

Etymology.

The name reflects the station where this species was collected, Svalbard, Norway.

Specimens examined.

Norway, Svalbard, isolate from dendritic lichen ( Usneaceae ) on the rock, 78 ° 13 ' 12.91 " N, 15 ° 20 ' 6.39 " E, Jul. 2014, Fang Peng (holotype CCTCC AY 2022006, preserved in a metabolically inactive state; other living culture: JCM 36172).

Culture characteristics.

On YMA and PDA plates, after 7 days and 30 days at 4 ° C, cultures are smooth, butyrous, creamy-white, without hypha around the single colony (Fig. 2 C View Figure 2 ); after 7 days and 30 days at 10 ° C and 15 ° C, cultures white to yellowish, smooth, butyrous, filamented margin, hyphae grow around the most single colony (Fig. 2 D View Figure 2 ); after 7 days and 30 days at 20 ° C, cultures white to yellowish, with rough surface and edge, smooth single colonies are observed seldomly (Fig. 2 E View Figure 2 ).

Micromorphology.

In YM and PD broth, yeast cells are hyaline, ellipsoidal, smooth, guttulate, 9.5–15.6 × 3.4–4.5 µm (av. = 12.6 ± 3.5 × 4.0 ± 0.8 µm, n = 30), with a gelatinous sheath (Fig. 2 I – K View Figure 2 ). Budding is enteroblastic and occurs on a narrow base from each pole (Fig. 2 H View Figure 2 ). After 7 days at 10 ° C, pseudohyphae are formed; at 15 ° C and 20 ° C, numerous pseudohyphae and hyphae are formed (Fig. 2 F – G View Figure 2 ), numerous yeasts forming rosettes (Fig. 2 G View Figure 2 ). Sexual structures are not observed on YMA, PDA, and CMA. Ballistoconidia are not produced.

Notes.

Lichenia svalbardensis was isolated from lichen in polar habitats. Numerous yeast cells of Lichenia svalbardensis clustered and formed rosettes. It is consistent with the morphological characteristics of Kriegeriaceae ( Toome et al. 2013) . In the seven loci phylogenetic analyses, L. svalbardensis from lichen ( Usneaceae ) formed a well-supported monophyletic clade, distinct from Kriegeria eriophori , Libkindia masarykiana , and Meredithblackwellia eburnea (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ). Morphologically, cells of L. svalbardensis (9.5–15.6 × 3.4–4.5 µm) are shorter than Meredithblackwellia eburnea (12.6–17.6 × 3.9–5.2 µm), wider than Libkindia masarykiana (8.5–12.0 × 2.0–3.0 µm), and shorter than Kriegeria eriophori (23.0–29.0 × 4.0–5.0 µm) ( Doubles and McLaughlin 1992; Toome et al. 2013; Masinova et al. 2017). Therefore, we kept L. svalbardensis separate.