A new species from tropical soils, Eupenicillium tropicum

Forty-three strains of Eupenicillium tropicum sp. nov . were isolated from soils collected in India , Costa Rica and Galapagos , Ecuador . The species is characterized by biverticillate penicilli, slightly rough, subglobose to ovate conidia, brownish cleistothecia that become brown-gray with age, and ascospores with two equatorial flanges and slightly roughened valves. All strains produced a large number of indole alkaloids, and many types of unknown secondary metabolites with characteristic chromophores were produced by a majority of strains. Eupenicillium tropicum is morphologically most similar to E. shearii , but based on ITS-LSU sequences, is most closely related to Penicillium citrinum , P. sartoryi and P. westlingii . Eupenicillium shearii strains consistently produce paxillin, paspalinine and shearinins, while the latter three penicillia all produce citrinin consistently.