| Summary: | Mucormycosis due to <i>Cunninghamella</i> spp. is a rare disease, especially in immunocompetent individuals. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of a new species of <i>Cunninghamella</i>, causing chronic rhino-orbital-cerebral disease, and review cases of mucormycosis due to <i>Cunninghamella</i> spp. in immunocompetent individuals. The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) sequence of isolate NCCPF 890012 showed 90% similarity with <i>Cunninghamella bigelovii</i>, while the large ribosomal subunit (28S) and translation elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) gene sequences showed 98% identity. Further, the phylogenetic analysis with concatenated sequences clustered isolate (NCCPF 890012) closely with <i>C. bigelovii</i>. The ITS sequence showed the maximum variation among three genes analyzed and helped in the new species’ delineation. Comparison of the assembled whole genome of NCCPF 890012 with other Mucorales using 123 single-copy orthologous genes showed clustering within the genus <i>Cunninghamella</i>. Based on these findings, the isolate is considered to be a new species of <i>Cunninghamella</i> and designated as <i>Cunninghamella arunalokei</i> sp. nov. Despite repeated debridement and antifungal treatment, the patient had multiple recurrences with intracranial extension and succumbed to the illness.
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