Cryptococcus vishniacii sp. nov., an Antarctic Yeast

Abstract

Antarctic soil samples collected by W.V. Vishniac contained (among other microbes) 98 isolates of undescribed, imperfect yeasts. These isolates clustered as 16 biotypes of greater than 90% similarity to each other but less than 90% similarity to all previously described yeast species. All such isolates were included in the new species C. vishniacii sp. nov. named in honor of W.V. Vishniac. C. vishniacii grows at 4.degree. C and below but not at 26.degree. C and above, is cream-colored in mass, lacks pseudomycelia, is nonfermentative, produces amylose, assimilates (at least) glucose, maltose, melezitose, trehalose and xylose, and uses nitrate-N. The type strain, MTSW 304Y268 (= ATCC 36649), does not grow at 21.degree.-22.degree. C or above and assimilates (additionally) L-arabinose, D-glucuronic acid, raffinose, L-rhamnose (weakly), sucrose, succinate and citrate.