New Aspergillus Species Discovered in Western Ghats

Published on 07 Dec 2025

• Researchers from the MACS-Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, have identified two novel fungal species belonging to Aspergillus section Nigri, commonly known as black aspergilli.

• The species—Aspergillus dhakephalkarii and Aspergillus patriciawiltshireae—were discovered in soil samples collected from the Western Ghats.

• Aspergillus dhakephalkarii is characterized by fast-growing colonies, pale to dark brown conidia, and yellowish-orange sclerotia. 

• In contrast, Aspergillus patriciawiltshireae features abundant sclerotia on multiple media, modest sporulation, and echinulate conidia.

• Black aspergilli are industrially important for citric acid production, food fermentation, and agricultural applications. 

• The newly discovered species could hold biotechnological potential, especially in phosphate solubilization—a focus of the ongoing research.

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Keywords:

New Aspergillus Species Discovered in Western Ghats MACS-Agharkar Research Institute Department of Science & Technology Aspergillus black aspergilli