Cryptococcus amylolentus C. bacillisporus C. decagattii C. deneoformans C. depauperatus C. deuterogattii C. gattii C. luteus C. tetragattii Filobasidiella Kwon-Chung (1975) Tsuchiyaea Y. Yamada, H.

Kawas., Itoh, I. Banno & Nakase (1988) Cryptococcus is a genus of fungi in the family Cryptococcaceae that includes both yeasts and filamentous species.

The filamentous, sexual forms or teleomorphs were formerly classified in the genus Filobasidiella, while Cryptococcus was reserved for the yeasts.

[1] Over 300 additional names were subsequently added to the genus, almost all of which were later removed following molecular research based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences.

The cells of species that produce yeasts are covered in a thin layer of glycoprotein capsular material that has a gelatin-like consistency, and that among other functions, serves to help extract nutrients from the soil.

[4] GXM is made up of the monosaccharides glucuronic acid, xylose and mannose and can also contain O-acetyl groups.

[10][2] Cryptococcus depauperatus is parasitic on Lecanicillium lecanii, an entomopathogenic fungus, and is known from Sri Lanka, England, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Canada.

[13] Cryptococcus luteus is parasitic on Granulobasidium vellereum, a corticioid fungus, and is known from England and Italy.

[15] Cryptococcus amylolentus was originally isolated as a yeast from beetle tunnels in South African trees.