Aspergillus ibericus: A new species of section Nigri isolated from grapes

Rita Serra, F. Javier Cabañes, Giancarlo Perrone, Gemma Castellá, Armando Venâncio, Giuseppina Mulè, Zofia Kozakiewicz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

86 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

As part of a study on the ochratoxin producing mycoflora of grapes, several Aspergillus strains were isolated and tested for their ochratoxin A (OTA) producing abilities. Aspergillus strains of the section Nigri, which did not produce detectable amounts of OTA but which had a similar morphology to A. carbonarius, were isolated from wine grapes and/or dried vine fruit in Portugal and Spain. These strains, however, have characters that allow morphological distinction from the other species in the section, particularly the conidia size (5-7 μm), which allows separation of the species from the two most common biseriate species in section Nigri: A. carbonarius (7-9 μm) and A. niger and its aggregate species (3-5 μm). The strains are described here as belonging to a new species, named A. ibericus. The validation of this new taxon is supported further by analysis of the ITS-5.8S rDNA and calmodulin gene sequences and by analysis of the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) patterns, which were consistent in separating these strains from other species in the section. A. ibericus strains do not produce OTA therefore they are interesting for biotechnological exploration because many metabolites with commercial value are produced by other species in the section. © 2006 by The Mycological Society of America.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)295-306
JournalMycologia
Volume98
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 24 Jul 2006

Keywords

  • A. carbonarius
  • A. niger
  • Black aspergilli
  • Fungi
  • Ochratoxin A
  • Systematics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Aspergillus ibericus: A new species of section Nigri isolated from grapes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this