Torulaspora asahi M. Silva, F. Paraíso, M.-A. Lachance & J.P. Sampaio, sp. nov. MB 853717 . Fig. 4A–C ., 2025

Torulaspora asahi M. Silva, F. Paraíso, M.-A. Lachance & J.P. Sampaio, sp. nov. MB 853717. Fig. 4A–C.

Etymology: Torulaspora asahi . a.sa.hi’, N.L. app. n. asahi, the Japanese word “asahi” meaning rising sun Japan’s sobriquet (“the Land of the Rising Sun”) as several strains of this species, including the ex-type strain, were isolated in that country.

Typus: Japan, Shiba Prefecture , soil underneath Quercus acuta , 2008, Y. Imanishi ( holotype PYCC 8100H , ex-holotype cultures PYCC 8100 View Materials , CBS 18509 View Materials ). The holotype is permanently maintained in a metabolically inactive state in the Portuguese Yeast Culture Collection, Caparica, Portugal. The genome of this species was deposited at DDBJ /ENA/ GenBank under the accession GCA_931301635. The version described in this paper is v. 1.

Description: After 1 wk on YM agar at 25 °C, cultures are smooth, cream-coloured, and butyrous. After 3 d of growth on YM agar at 25 °C, cells are globose (4–5.5 µm) to sub-globose (4–6 × 3–5 µm) and occur singly or in pairs, and proliferation is by multilateral budding ( Fig. 4A View Fig ). On Dalmau plates after 2 wk at 25 °C, no pseudohyphae nor true hyphae are formed. Sexual reproduction is observed on acetate agar after 15 d at 20 °C, and the cultures appear to be homothallic. Cellular extensions that resemble conjugation tubes are frequent and usually are not involved in conjugation ( Fig. 4B View Fig ). Asci are persistent and normally are formed after conjugation involving a cell and its bud. Asci produce one to two smooth and spherical ascospores, measuring 2.5–3.5 µm diam. ( Fig. 4C View Fig ). The physiological and biochemical profile of the species is shown in Table 1 View Table 1 and Table S5.

Habitat and distribution: This species was found in the arboreal niche, including soil underneath Quercus acuta and Q. salicina , bark of Lithocarpus edulis , root of Clermontia sp. , exudate of Myoporum , and fruit of Ficus virgata . Currently known from collections in Japan ( Chiba Prefecture and Iriomote island) and Hawaii.

Additional cultures examined: PYCC 8099, PYCC 8101, PYCC 9382, UWOPS 91-901.1, UWOPS 91-920.1 (see Table S1 View Table 1 for details) .