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.