<i>Talaromyces atroroseus</i>, a New Species Efficiently Producing Industrially Relevant Red Pigments

<div><p>Some species of <i>Talaromyces</i> secrete large amounts of red pigments. Literature has linked this character to species such as <i>Talaromyces purpurogenus, T. albobiverticillius, T. marneffei</i>, and <i>T. minioluteus</i> often under earlier <i>Penicillium</i> names. Isolates identified as <i>T. purpurogenus</i> have been reported to be interesting industrially and they can produce extracellular enzymes and red pigments, but they can also produce mycotoxins such as rubratoxin A and B and luteoskyrin. Production of mycotoxins limits the use of isolates of a particular species in biotechnology. <i>Talaromyces atroroseus</i> sp. nov., described in this study, produces the azaphilone biosynthetic families mitorubrins and <i>Monascus</i> pigments without any production of mycotoxins. Within the red pigment producing clade, <i>T. atroroseus</i> resolved in a distinct clade separate from all the other species in multigene phylogenies (ITS, β-tubulin and <i>RPB1</i>), which confirm its unique nature. <i>Talaromyces atroroseus</i> resembles <i>T. purpurogenus</i> and <i>T. albobiverticillius</i> in producing red diffusible pigments, but differs from the latter two species by the production of glauconic acid, purpuride and ZG–1494α and by the dull to dark green, thick walled ellipsoidal conidia produced. The type strain of <i>Talaromyces atroroseus</i> is CBS 133442 </p>