RESULTS:

Three strains of a novel yeast species were isolated from rotting wood in the Xishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest Yunnan Province PR China. Sequence analysis of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions showed that the novel species represents a member of the genus Saturnispora. It differed from its closest known species Saturnispora sekii CBS 10931T by 1.3 % nucleotide substitutions in the D1/D2 domains and by 2.2 % nucleotide substitutions in the ITS regions respectively. In contrast to Saturnispora sekii the novel yeast species was unable to assimilate glycerol dl-lactate succinate and citrate and grow at 37 °C. The name Saturnispora galanensis sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these strains with NYNU 1797 as the holotype.