Spathaspora is an important genus of d-xylose-fermenting yeasts that are poorly studied in China. During recent yeast collections in Yunnan Province in China, 13 isolates of Spathaspora were obtained from rotting wood and all represent undescribed taxa. Based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses (ITS and nuc 28S), five new species are proposed: Spathaspora elongata, Sp. mengyangensis, Sp. jiuxiensis, Sp. parajiuxiensis and Sp. rosae. Our results indicate a high species diversity of Spathaspora waiting to be discovered in rotting wood from tropical and subtropical southwest China. In addition, the two Candida species, C. jeffriesii and C. materiae, which are members of the Spathaspora clade based on phylogeny, are transferred to Spathaspora as new combinations.

Three species of Scheffersomyces were identified during a diversity study of yeasts. All three are associated with insects and rotting wood in China. Phylogenetic analyses of a genomic dataset combining ITS and nrLSU revealed that these new collections are distinct from known species, thus three new species are introduced i.e. S. jinghongensis, S. paraergatensis, and S. anoplophorae. In our phylogenetic analyses, Scheffersomyces jinghongensis possesses a strong independent lineage and is closely related to S. titanus. S. paraergatensis is closely related to S. ergatensis, while S. anoplophorae is related to S. stambukii. Several differences in physiological traits and molecular data indicate that S. jinghongensis, S. paraergatensis, and S. anoplophorae are three newly identified species.