Candida kunwiensis sp. nov., a yeast associated with flowers and bumblebees.

A novel asexual ascomycetous yeast, Candida kunwiensis (SG99-26T = KCTC 17041T = CBS 9067T), was isolated from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) flowers in Korea and from the body surface of pollinating bumblebees in Germany. Comparative analysis of the D1/D2 domain of 26S rDNA of all available sequences for ascomycetous yeasts showed that the novel species was phylogenetically related to the genus Metschnikowia, but the sequence similarity was low. Morphologically and physiologically, C. kunwiensis in many ways resembles Metschnikowia pulcherrima, but can be distinguished from this species by its ability to assimilate lactic acid and its inability to produce pulcherrimin.