Researchers from the MACS-Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, identified two novel species of Aspergillus section Nigri (commonly known as black aspergillus), Aspergillus dhakephalkarii and Aspergillus patriciawiltshireae, from soil samples in the Western Ghats.
They also reported the first geographic records of Aspergillus aculeatinus and Aspergillus brunneoviolaceus in India.
The genus Aspergillus includes filamentous fungi widely found across ecological niches.