Six new Penicillium species in the section Lanata-Divaricata from a cave in Amazon rainforest, Brazil

In this study, we introduce six new species of Penicillium from the sediment of the Vale da Lua cave in the Amazon rainforest, Pará state, Northern Brazil. Strains were obtained through serial dilution on plates and moist chamber techniques. Forty-two strains of Penicillium were isolated, 18 of which represent six new species. These new species were studied in detail using a polyphasic approach, combining phenotypic characteristics and multigene phylogenies based on ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2 data. The six new species belong to section Lanata-Divaricata, series Dalearum (P. parauapebasense sp. nov., P. carajasense sp. nov., P. albineum sp. nov., and P. aureosclerotiorum sp. nov.), Janthinella (P. reverso-vinaceum sp. nov.), and Simplicissima (P. lebretii sp. nov.). All species produce sclerotia, and monoverticillate and biverticillate conidiophores, with globose to subglobose conidia. Notes on morphological characters distinguishing the new species from their close relatives are provided. This study enhances our understanding of the occurrence of Penicillium species in caves, particularly in tropical regions.