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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #223308
Title: Penicillium parvulum and Penicillium georgiense sp. nov. Isolated from the Conidial Heads of Aspergillus Species

Author
item Peterson, Stephen
item Horn, Bruce

Submitted to: Mycologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2008
Publication Date: 2/25/2009
Citation: Peterson, S.W., Horn, B.W. 2009. Penicillium parvulum and Penicillium georgiense sp. nov. Isolated from the Conidial Heads of Aspergillus Species. Mycologia. 101(1):71-83.

Interpretive Summary: Aflatoxin and other toxins produced by molds can reduce or destroy the value of peanuts by their presence. While studying the ecology of aflatoxin producing molds in peanut fields, we found some molds from the genus Penicillium that had never been seen before, and that were growing on toxin producing species. Comparative studies and use of molecular diagnostic tools proved that these molds are new to science, and we have named them Penicillium parvulum and Penicillium georgiense. The description of these new species will be of interest to soil ecologists, systematists, mycologists and plant pathologist.

Technical Abstract: Two new Penicillium species were isolated from peanut-field soils in Georgia. The species were particularly noted because they sporulated on the conidial heads of Aspergillus species. Phenotypic descriptions were prepared using standard media. ITS and lsu-rDNA sequences were made from the new species and compared to existing homologous sequences from Penicillium species using parsimony analysis. The monoverticillate species, P. parvulum was most closely related to E. cinnamopurpureum, while the furcate species, P. georgiense typically appeared in the tree near P. thiersii. Because P. parvulum was closely related to E. cinnamopurpureum additional loci were sequenced (beta tubulin, calmodulin) for these and some other closely related species in order to establish the status of the species through genealogical concordance. Some proposed synonymies from prior studies were examined and resolved.