Penicillium bialowiezense, new report for the funga of Iran

Penicillium is a globally distributed fungal genus with diverse ecological roles, habitat niches, and biotechnological applications over the past decades. During a targeted survey in ۲۰۲۴ of fungal entomopathogens associated with the Sunn pest in East Azerbaijan Province (Iran), the authors of the paper isolated and identified ۳۰ strains of Penicillium from Chalcophorella sp. cadavers collected beneath Astragalus spp. Morphological assessment, supported by β-tubulin (BenA) gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, confirmed the identity of all isolates as P. bialowiezense. The present findings represent the first record of P. bialowiezense in Iran and, to the authors' knowledge, the first report of this species from a Coleoptera host worldwide. Iranian isolates showed some phenotypic variation regarding the protologue in the conidiophores' branching patterns. In the phylogenetic analysis the representative isolate (IRAN ۵۳۷۲C) clustered with the type and reference strains of P. bialowiezense. Results derived from the present study, contribute to fungal biodiversity documentation of the mainland of Iran, and highlight the necessity for further study on the host range and geographical distribution of said fungus in natural environments.

کلیدواژه ها:

Aspergillaceae ، Brevicompacta ، mycobiota ، new host ، Varzeqan