Isolation of wild yeasts from soils collected in Pochoen-si, Korea and characterization of unrecorded yeasts

In 2019, as a subset study to discover indigenous yeast species in Korea, a total of 20 yeast species were isolated from soil samples collected in Pochoen-si. Among them, eight strains were unreported species. From the high 26S rRNA gene sequence similarity and formation of a robust phylogenetic clade with the closest species, it was determined that each strain belonged to independent and predefined yeast species. The 20 strains were assigned to the genera Aureobasidium (1 strain) and Meyerozyma (1 strain) of the phylum Ascomycota and Cystofilobasidium (2 strains), Filobasidium (1 strain), Naganishia (2 strains), Bullera (3 strains), Leucosporidium (9 strains) and Sampaiozyma (1 strain) of the phylum Basidiomycota. There is no official report of the following species in Korea: Leucosporidium creatinivorum (4 strains), Leucosporidium escuderoi(2 strains), Leucosporidium golubevii(1 strain) and Leucosporidium intermedium (2 strains). Basic biochemical characteristics, colony and cell morphology are also described in the species description section.