This report presents the description of a new Sporobolomyces species, Sp. odoratus sp. nov. The new species was characterized by DNA fingerprinting using the micro/minisatellite-primed PCR approach (MSP-PCR). A phylogenetic analysis using the D1/D2 region of the 26S rDNA revealed that Sp. odoratus belongs to a clade that includes Rhodosporidium fluviale and Sporidiobolus ruineniae. An integrated comparison with related species is presented. A number of presumptive strains of S. ruineniae were also investigated using the MSP-PCR method and 26S rDNA sequence analysis. Mating experiments revealed, for the first time, that S. ruineniae includes heterothallic strains, besides those already known to be self-fertile.