Two strains of a novel yeast species were isolated from rotting wood of an ornamental tree (purple quaresmeira, Tibouchina granulosa, Melastomataceae) in an Atlantic Rainforest area in Brazil. Analysis of the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS-5.8S) region and the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene showed that this species belongs to the Spathaspora clade, and is phylogenetically related to Spathaspora brasiliensis, Candida materiae and Sp. girioi. The novel species ferments D-xylose, producing ethanol, with amounts between 3.37 and 3.48 g L-1 ethanol from 2% D-xylose. Ascospores were not observed from this new species. The name Spathaspora piracicabensis f. a., sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these isolates. The type strain is UFMG-CM-Y5867T (= CBS 15054T = ESALQ-I54T). The MycoBank number is MB 822,320.
Keywords: Atlantic Rainforest; D-xylose-fermenting yeast; Novel yeast species; Rotting wood; Spathaspora.