Auriculibuller fuscus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Bullera japonica sp. nov., novel taxa in the Tremellales. Sampaio et al. 

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 54: 987-993.

Seven phylloplane yeast strains collected in the Arrábida Natural Park (Portugal) and preliminarily identified as Bullera alba, the anamorphic stage of Bulleromyces albus, were investigated. Contrary to Bulleromyces albus, these isolates produced a brownish pigment when grown on potato dextrose agar. The pigment caused a darkening of the cultures and diffused into the culture medium. Mating studies revealed that the Arrábida isolates did not react with the different mating types of Bulleromyces albus, but were sexually compatible among them and produced mycelium with clamp connections, haustoria and transversally septate basidia that ejected the basidiospores. The various taxonomic criteria evaluated during the present study and the comparison with other sexual taxa of the Tremellales, indicated that this teleomorph should be classified in a new genus. Therefore, the genus Auriculibuller and the species A. fuscus (type PYCC 5690^T = CBS 9648^T) are proposed. In addition, during the course of this investigation a new Bullera species, Bullera japonica (type PYCC 4534^T = CBS 2013^T), was found among collection isolates formerly identified as Bullera alba. In a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the D1/D2 domains of the 26S rDNA and the ITS, the two taxa were found to be closely related but distinct at the species level.