Pythium segnitiumsp. nov., isolated from the Canary Islands – its taxonomy, ITS region of rDNA, and comparison with related species

Pythium segnitium (CI-44) was isolated from some soil samples taken in the Canary Islands (Spain). This new species is a slow-growing fungus and is perfectly adapted to terrestrial habitat. It belongs to the group of Pythium that have smooth-walled oogonia, mostly hypogynous antheridia, and plerotic oospores. The fungus lacks sporangia, zoospores, and hyphal bodies are rarely formed. Thus the asexual reproduction, which is so common for fungi and especially for the aquatic ones, is completely lacking in this case. However the fungus reproduces sexually by the formation of oogonia, antheridia and oospores plentifully. The taxonomic description of this fungus, the nucleotide sequence of the internal transcribed region (spacers ITS1, ITS2, and the gene 5.8 S) of its ribosomal nuclear DNA, and its comparison with related species are given here.