Profiles of Primary and Secondary Metabolites of Value in Classification of Penicillium Viridicatum and Related Species

Abstract

Species of Penicilliumcan often be identified by morphological methods, but additional criteria such as profiles of secondary metabolites can be useful for confirmation, especially in species occurring on domesticated plants used for foods and feedstuffs. Fungi may also be classified by polyphenic methods based on quantitative profiles of primary metabolites, e.g. gas chromatographic determination of pyrolysis products or carbohydrates. The use of these methods is exemplified in this paper on species and isolates which are especially difficult to identify by traditional taxonomical methods, i.e. the P. viridicatum, P. cyclopium, P. expansum, and P. ochraceum series of Raper and Thom. It is shown that Penicillium isolates with rough-walled conidia, isolated from seed caches and cheek pouches of the North American desert kangaroo rat, are P. aurantiogriseum II and not P. echinulatum.