ABSTRACT
The fungal genus Cladosporium (Cladosporiaceae, Dothideomycetes) is composed of a large number of species, which can roughly be divided into three main species complexes: Cladosporium cladosporioides, Cladosporium herbarum, and Cladosporium sphaerospermum. The aim of this study was to characterize strains isolated from contaminated milk bread rolls by phenotypic and genotypic analyses. Using multilocus data from the internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA (rDNA), partial translation elongation factor 1-α, actin, and beta-tubulin gene sequences along with Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and morphological observations, three isolates were identified as a new species in the C. sphaerospermum species complex. This novel species, described here as Cladosporium lebrasiae, is phylogenetically and morphologically distinct from other species in this complex.
