Jurinea tortumensis sp. nov. (Asteraceae) from northeast Anatolia,Turkey

A new species, Jurinea tortumensis A. Duran & B. Dogan (Asteraceae), is described and illustrated from Anatolia, Turkey. The species grows on serpentine stony places in the Tortum district (Erzurum Province) in northeast Anatolia. It is morphologically similar to J. consanguinea DC. The pollen characteristics and achene surface morphology of J. tortumensis and J. consanguinea are examined by SEM. Diagnostic morphological characters from closely similar taxa are discussed and arranged in a key. Ecology, conservation status and biogeography of the species are also presented. In addition, the geographical distributions of the new species and other related species are mapped.     

Retracted: Bauhinia saksuwaniae sp. nov. (Leguminosae–Caesalpinioideae) from Thailand

The following article from the Nordic Journal of Botany , ‘Bauhinia saksuwaniae sp. nov. (Leguminosae‐Caesalpinioideae) from Thailand.’ by Sawai Mattapha, Pranom Chantaranothai and Somran Suddee, published online on 11 December 2013 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Torbjörn Tyler and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to the publication of a species under the name B. nakhonpranomensis, prior to the publication of this article.     

Erythricium atropatanum sp. nov. (Corticiales) from Iran, based on morphological and molecular data

A new corticioid species with a pinkish fruiting body is described from East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, based on nuclear ITS and LSU sequence data and morphology. Erythricium atropatanum sp. nov. is recognized by its closely adnate, pinkish fruiting body, large and broadly ellipsoid to fusoid basidiospores with densely granulate contents, and lack of clamps. The species is nested in Corticiales and the grounds for its generic designation are discussed. A key to the known species of Erythricium is presented.     

Onobrychis oshnaviyehensis sp. nov. (sect. Hymenobrychis, Fabaceae) from Iran

Onobrychis oshnaviyehensis (Fabaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species. This species, which belongs to the section Hymenobrychis , is confined to northwest Iran (Azarbaijan Province) and is only known from a single population close to the Turkish border.     

Cordiera longicaudata sp. nov. and Duroia valesca sp. nov. of the Alibertia group (Gardenieae–Rubiaceae)

Two neotropical species of the Alibertia group (Gardenieae–Rubiaceae) are described and illustrated. Cordiera longicaudata C. Persson & Delprete sp. nov. occurs in Panama and northwestern Ecuador (Awá Reserve) and is characterized by its long drip tips and glabrous to minutely puberulent corollas. Duroia valesca C. Persson & Delprete sp. nov. is from the Atlantic forest of Brazil (states of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais) and is distinguished by its heteromorphic calyx lobes that are large, 13–15×7–8 mm, elliptic and contorted in female flowers, whereas the calyx lobes of the male flowers are 3–5×1–2 mm and narrowly triangular.     

Psychotria monensis sp. nov (Rubiaceae), a tree species from Cameroon

Psychotria monensis Cheek & Séné (Rubiaceae) from lowland evergreen forest in western Cameroon is described and illustrated. Its conservation status is assessed as ‘Critically Endangered’ according to the IUCN criteria, and its taxonomic affinities are discussed.     

Crinipellis pedemontana sp. nov. (Agaricomycetes), a new basidiomycete from Italy

Crinipellis pedemontana, a new agaric growing on stems of dead grasses in an Italian urban park, is described and illustrated. It fits in sect. Grisentinae on account of the green reaction with KOH and ammonia and its bright colored pileus. The unique combination of purple-violaceous tinges in the pileus and the presence of chlamydospores in the pileipellis characterize this species as new. Its taxonomic position within Crinipellis and the related genus Moniliophthora is discussed.     

Saussurea pseudograminea sp. nov. (Asteraceae) from the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau,China

Morphological characteristics, as well as ultrastructure of pollen grains, chromosome numbers and karyotype analysis have been used to establish a new species of Saussurea from the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau. The new species, Saussurea pseudograminea Y. F. Wang, G. Z. Du et Y. S. Lian is easily distinguished from the similar S. graminea Dunn by having 2–3 capitula, involucre 0.7–1.2 cm in diameter, smaller pollen grains, pollen surface with larger and denser spines, achenes 4.0–5.5 mm long, 32 chromosomes, and a karyotype formula 2n = 2x = 32 = 18m + 10sm + 4st, whereas S. graminea has solitary capitula, involucre 1.2–2.0 cm in diameter, larger pollen grains, pollen surface with smaller and sparser spines, achenes 3–4 mm long, 28 chromosomes and a karyotype formula 2n = 2x = 28 = 6m + 20sm + 2st. The new species is distributed in Dianzhangou, Awanchang, and Gamaliang mountain regions of Maqu county in Gansu province.     

Schizostachyum yalyense sp. nov. and S. ninhthuanense sp. nov. (Gramineae: Bambusoideae) from Vietnam

Two new species of Schizostachyum Nees (Poaceae: Bambusoideae): S. yalyense N. H. Xia, V. T. Tran et H. N. Nguyen and Schizostachyum ninhthuanense N. H. Xia, V. T. Tran et H. N. Nguyen (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) are described and illustrated from Vietnam. Schizostachyum yalyense is similar to S. lima (Blanco) Merrill, but differs by culm sheaths with a concave apex 4–5 cm wide and 1.0–1.5 cm deep, pseudospikelets clustered on the wholly leafless flowering branches, possession of 2 bracts and lodicules. Schizostachyum ninhthuanense is related to S. hainanense Merrill ex McClure, but differs by culm sheaths covered with white hairs and having white–brown hairs at the apex, ligule margin densely pale‐ciliate, pseudospikelets clustered on wholly leafless flowering branches, presence of 3 lodicules, two stigmas apically on the style and the third stigma branching off from one of the two other stigmas.     

Helobdella nilae sp. nov. (Hirudinoidea: Glossiphoniidae), from the Nile Delta,Egypt

A new freshwater leech species, Helobdella nilae, is described with diagnostically a dorsal nuchal gland (scute) on somite VII, five pairs of simple crop caeca, the last pair extending posteriorly as postcaeca, five pairs of compact spherical testisacs, an unpigmented dorsal surface lacking both papillae and sensilla. The mouth is subapical and surrounded by numerous single or paired pits (pores).     

Zygozyma suomiensis,sp. nov. (Lipomycetaceae), a new species from Finland

A new species of the genus Zygozyma, Z. suomiensis, is described, based on the study of a single strain, derived from a bovine skin lesion.