New Black Fungal Species Aspergillus dhakephalkarii and Aspergillus patriciavillshireae Discovered in Western Ghats.

In September 2025, researchers from MACS-Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, Maharashtra, discovered two new black Aspergillus species — Aspergillus dhakephalkarii and Aspergillus patriciavillshireae — from soil samples of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO biodiversity hotspot.

      - The discovery also marked the first geographic record of Aspergillus aculeatinus and Aspergillus brunneoviolaceus in the Western Ghats.

      - The new species exhibit distinct morphological features such as yellowish sclerotia, spiny conidia, and branching conidiophores.

      - The findings emphasize the ecological richness of the Western Ghats and the urgent need to explore fungal biodiversity for scientific and biotechnological applications.

Main Point :-   (i) Aspergillus dhakephalkarii forms fast-growing colonies with pale to dark brown spores, uniseriate conidiophores (2–3 branches), and smooth ellipsoidal conidia.

      (ii) Aspergillus patriciavillshireae shows rapid growth, abundant yellowish-orange sclerotia, and acid production on specific media, with conidiophores branching into five or more columns.

(iii) The study used molecular markers such as Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS), Calmodulin (CaM), BenA, and RPB2 genes to confirm species identity, highlighting its systematic and taxonomic significance.
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