Blastobotrys bombycis sp. nov., a d-xylose-fermenting yeast isolated from the gut of the silkworm larva Bombyx mori

Abstract

The gut of insects harbors a yeast community that is still poorly understood. Here, a novel species of the ascomycetous genus Blastobotrys is proposed based on a yeast strain isolated from the larval gut of the silkworm Bombyx mori (Order Lepidoptera). The novel species is closely related to Blastobotrys aristata and Blastobotrys elegans on the basis of the results of molecular phylogenetic analyses. A preliminary screening revealed that it produces 1.5 g l^-1 ethanol by fermenting 5 % d-xylose. The novel species, that represents the first report, to our knowledge, of yeast isolation from silkworms, is described as Blastobotrys bombycis sp. nov. (type strain RAAB001^T=CBS 15274^T=PYCC 8105^T=MCC 1427^T; MycoBank accession number MB 825095).

Keywords: Blastobotrys; Bombyx mori; D-xylose-fermenting yeast; Saccharomycetes yeast; insect gut; new yeast species.