RESUMO
In the 1970s, the strain Geotrichum candidum Link 3C was isolated from rotting rope and since then has been extensively studied as a source of cellulose and xylan-degrading enzymes. The original identification of the strain was based only on morphological characters of the fungal mycelium in culture. Recent comparison of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) fragments derived from the draft genome published in 2015 did not show its similarity to G. candidum species. Given the value of the strain 3C in lignocellulosic biomass degradation, we performed morphological and molecular studies to find the appropriate taxonomic placement for this fungal strain within the Ascomycota phylum. ITS, 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA sequences, and RPB2 encoding genes were used to construct phylogenetic trees with Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. Based on sequence comparison and multiple gene sequencing, we conclude that the fungal strain designated as Geotrichum candidum Link 3C should be placed into the genus Scytalidium (Pezizomycotina, Leotiomycetes) and is redescribed herein as Scytalidium candidum 3C comb. nov.
