Conlarium duplumascospora gen. et. sp. nov. and Jobellisia guangdongensis sp. nov. from freshwater habitats in China

Conlarium duplumascospora gen. et. sp. nov. and Jobellisia guangdongensis sp. nov. are described and illustrated from submerged wood collected from Guangdong Province, China. Conlarium duplumascospora is characterized by gregarious, coriaceous and beaked ascomata; cylindrical, unitunicate asci with a bipartite apical ring; biseriate, fusiform, hyaline, 0-5-septate ascospores with or without appendages; and anamorph with muriform conidia. Jobellisia guangdongensis is characterized by globose to subglobose, gregarious and papillate ascomata; three-layered peridium; cylindrical, unitunicate asci with a refractive apical ring; and one-septate, fusiform, greenish brown ascospores. Sequence analyses of partial nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA) were performed to infer the phylogenetic affinities of these new taxa. A key to species of Jobellisia is provided.     

Natronobacillus azotifigens gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic diazotrophic haloalkaliphile from soda-rich habitats

Gram-positive bacteria capable of nitrogen fixation were obtained in microoxic enrichments from soda soils in south-western Siberia, north-eastern Mongolia, and the Lybian desert (Egypt). The same organisms were obtained in anoxic enrichments with glucose from soda lake sediments in the Kulunda Steppe (Altai, Russia) using nitrogen-free alkaline medium of pH 10. The isolates were represented by thin motile rods forming terminal round endospores. They are strictly fermentative saccharolytic anaerobes but tolerate high oxygen concentrations, probably due to a high catalase activity. All of the strains are obligately alkaliphilic and highly salt-tolerant natronophiles (chloride-independent sodaphiles). Growth was possible within a pH range from 7.5 to 10.6, with an optimum at 9.5–10, and within a salt range from 0.2 to 4 M Na⁺, with an optimum at 0.5–1.5 M for the different strains. The nitrogenase activity in the whole cells also had an alkaline pH optimum but was much more sensitive to high salt concentrations compared to the growing cells. The isolates formed a compact genetic group with a high level of DNA similarity. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S-rRNA gene sequences placed the isolates into Bacillus rRNA group 1 as a separate lineage with Amphibacillus tropicus as the nearest relative. In all isolates the key functional nitrogenase gene nifH was detected. A new genus and species, Natronobacillus azotifigens gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed to accommodate the novel diazotrophic haloalkaliphiles. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. The GenBank accession numbers for the 16S rRNA gene of the novel strains are EU143681-EU143690 and EU850814-EU850816; for the nifH gene the accession numbers are EU542601, EU563380-EU563386 and EU850817-EU850819.     

Ecpagloxylon mathiesenii gen. nov. et sp. nov., a Jurassic wood from Greenland with several primitive angiosperm features

Fossil wood specimens from the late Early–early Middle Jurassic of Jameson Land, Eastern Greenland, have several unexpected features: tracheids of irregular size and shape, thinly pitted ray cell walls, heterogeneous rays, partially scalariform radial pitting, both areolate and simple pits, and pitted elements associated with rays. These characters diverge markedly from those typical of Jurassic wood, which usually conform to those of modern conifers. Although this combination of features is not encountered in any extant angiosperm, each has been documented in one or several extant homoxylous angiosperms, particularly Amborella, Trochodendron, and Tetracentron. As these wood specimens are not found in connection with any reproductive part, it is impossible to confidently assign them to the angiosperms. If a Jurassic angiosperm did exist, however, it might well have had a similar wood. This material is an early bench-mark in the evolution that led from homoxylous conifer-like wood to that of the angiosperms. Its particular biogeography (Arctic) could renew the discussion about the area of origin of the angiosperms.     

Fibrivirga algicola gen. nov., sp. nov., an algicidal bacterium isolated from a freshwater river

An aerobic, gram-stain-negative, pink-colored, non-motile and rod-shaped algicidal bacterium, designated as JA-25^T was isolated from freshwater in Geumgang River, Republic of Korea. Strain JA-25^T grew at 15–30 °C and pH 6–9, and did not require NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain JA-25^T belongs to the family ‘Spirosomaceae’ and is most closely related to Fibrella aestuarina BUZ 2^T (93.6%). Strain JA-25^T showed?<?90% sequence similarity to other members of the family ‘Spirosomaceae’. The average nucleotide identity(ANI), in silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity(AAI) values based on the genomic sequences of JA-25^T and F. aestuarina BUZ 2^T were 74.4, 20.5, and 73.6%, respectively. Strain JA-25^T showed an algicidal effect on the marine flagellate alga Heterocapsa triquetra, but no effect on fresh water cyanobacterium (Nostoc). In genome analysis, RIPP-like peptides were detected and predicted to resemble the indolmycin biosynthetic gene cluster, which possibly influence its algicidal effect. Furthermore, a bacteriorhodopsin gene with photoheterotrophic characteristics was detected. The genomic DNA G?+?C content was 52.5 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω6c/C16:1 ω7c), C16:1 ω5c, C16:0 (>?10%). The major respiratory quinone was menaquinone 7 and major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified aminolipids, two phospholipids, and five unidentified lipids. Considering the phylogenetic inference, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic data, strain JA-25^T should be classified as a novel species in the novel genus Fibrivirga, with the proposed name Fibrivirga algicola sp. nov. The type strain is JA-25^T (=?KCCM 43334^T?=?NBRC 114259^T).

     

Wajira gen. et sp. nov. (Leguminosae) from Kenya

Wajira albescens Thulin (Leguminosae–Papilionoideae–Phaseoleae–Phaseolinae) is described as a new monotypic genus confined to the arid bushlands of E Kenya.     

New taxa in the Tremellales: Bulleribasidium oberjochense gen. et sp. nov., Papiliotrema bandonii gen. et sp. nov. and Fibulobasidium murrhardtense sp. nov

Two new genera, Bulleribasidium and Papiliotrema, and three new species, B. oberjochense, P. bandonii and Fibulobasidium murrhardtense are described. An integrated analysis of morphological, ultrastructural, physiological, and molecular data indicates that the new taxa belong to the Tremellales (Basidiomycota). Relevant characteristics of the new genera and species are discussed and compared with those of closely related taxa.     

Pullaritheca longii gen. nov. and Kerryia mattenii gen. et sp. nov., lower carboniferous cupules with ovules of the Hydrasperma tenuis-type

New specimens of cupules assignable to Hydrasperma longii Matten et al. have been collected at Oxroad Bay in southern Scotland. Two of these bear large well-developed ovules that are tightly packed within the cupules and reveal the features of the relatively mature fructification. The attached ovules fall within the range of structural variation that encompasses both the isolated ovules that are the type specimens of H. tenuis and cupulate ovules described as H. tenuis from the uppermost Devonian of Ireland. However, the cupules from Scotland and Ireland have distinctly different morphologies. This demonstrates that H. tenuis ovules are produced by at least two different kinds of plants and reveals that ovule structure alone is not always a reliable taxonomic indicator among primitive gymnosperms. The genus Hydrasperma is restricted to isolated ovules because it can not be determined which, if either of the plants, represented by the currently-known cupulate morphologies, actually bore the type specimens of H. tenuis. Plants represented by the ovulate cupules from Scotland and Ireland are named Pullaritheca longii gen. nov. and Kerryia mattenii gen. et sp. nov. respectively.     

Ferribacterium limneticum, gen. nov., sp. nov., an Fe(III)-reducing microorganism isolated from mining-impacted freshwater lake sediments

A dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterium was isolated from mining-impacted lake sediments and designated strain CdA-1. The strain was isolated from a 4-month enrichment culture with acetate and Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide. Strain CdA-1 is a motile, obligately anaerobic rod, capable of coupling the oxidation of acetate and other organic acids to the reduction of ferric iron. Fe(III) reduction was not observed using methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, propionate, succinate, fumarate, H₂, citrate, glucose, or phenol as potential electron donors. With acetate as an electron donor, strain CdA-1 also grew by reducing nitrate or fumarate. Growth was not observed with acetate as electron donor and O₂, sulfoxyanions, nitrite, trimethylamine N-oxide, Mn(IV), As(V), or Se(VI) as potential terminal electron acceptors. Comparative 16 S rRNA gene sequence analyses show strain CdA-1 to be most closely related (93.6% sequence similarity) to Rhodocyclus tenuis. However, R. tenuis did not grow heterotrophically by Fe(III) reduction, nor did strain CdA-1 grow photrophically. We propose that strain CdA-1 represents a new genus and species, Ferribacterium limneticum. Strain CdA-1 represents the first dissimilatory Fe(III) reducer in the β subclass of Proteobacteria, as well as the first Fe(III) reducer isolated from mine wastes. Received: 14 July 1998 / Accepted: 14 December 1998     

Mobilicoccus pelagius gen. nov., sp. nov. and Piscicoccus intestinalis gen. nov., sp. nov., two new members of the family Dermatophilaceae, and reclassification of Dermatophilus chelonae (Masters et al. 1995) as Austwickia chelonae gen. nov., comb. nov

Two Gram-positive bacteria, designated strains Aji5-31(T) and Ngc37-23(T), were isolated from the intestinal tracts of fishes. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that both strains were related to the members of the family Dermatophilaceae, with 95.6-96.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities. The family Dermatophilaceae contains 2 genera and 3 species: Dermatophilus congolensis, Dermatophilus chelonae and Kineosphaera limosa. However, it has been suggested that the taxonomic position of D. chelonae should be reinvestigated using a polyphasic approach, because the chemotaxonomic characteristics are not known (Stackebrandt, 2006; Stackebrandt and Schumann, 2000). Our present study revealed that strains Aji5-31(T), Ngc37-23(T) and D. chelonae NBRC 105200(T) should be separated from the other members of the family Dermatophilaceae on the basis of the following characteristics: the predominant menaquinone of strain Aji5-31(T) is MK-8(H(2)), strain Ngc37-23(T) possesses iso- branched fatty acids as major components, and the menaquinone composition of D. chelonae is MK-8(H(4)), MK-8 and MK-8(H(2)) (5 : 3 : 2, respectively). On the basis of these distinctive phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic analysis results, it is proposed that strains Aji5-31(T) and Ngc37-23(T) be classified as two novel genera and species of the family Dermatophilaceae. The names are Mobilicoccus pelagius gen. nov., sp. nov. and Piscicoccus intestinalis gen. nov., sp. nov., and the type strains are Aji5-31(T) (=NBRC 104925(T) =DSM 22762(T)) and Ngc37-23(T) (=NBRC 104926(T) =DSM 22761(T)), respectively. In addition, D. chelonae should be reassigned to a new genus of the family Dermatophilaceae with the name Austwickia chelonae gen. nov., comb. nov.