Systematics of Aspergillus species of subgenus Nidulantes in Iran

Abstract

<em>Aspergillus</em> subgenus <em>Nidulantes</em> accommodates species of industrial and medical importance. Thirty isolates morphologically assigned to subgenus <em>Nidulantes </em>were studied, 25 isolated from cereals in the north and northwestern provinces and the rest from other substrates in Iran. Based on morphological and molecular data (sequences of the ITS rDNA and β-tubulin), nine species were identified belonging to the sections <em>Nidulantes</em>, <em>Usti</em>, <em>Terrei</em> and <em>Flavipedes</em>. Phylogenetic analyses based on the β-tubulin gene resolved the relationship among the examined <em>Aspergillus</em> species largely concordant with morphological characters. Among the identified species, <em>Aspergillus aurantiobrunneus</em>, <em>A.</em> <em>calidoustus</em>,<em> A. flavipes</em>,<em> A. iizukae</em>,<em> A. insuetus</em>, <em>A.</em> <em>kassunensis</em>,<em> A. </em><em>quadrilineatus</em> and are new records to the Iranian mycobiota.