<Emphasis Type="Italic">Megaviridae</Emphasis>-like particles associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Symbiodinium</Emphasis> spp. from the endemic coral <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mussismilia braziliensis</Emphasis>

Coral reefs are one of the most dynamic and productive marine ecosystems. The coral holobiont consists of the coral animal and a variety of associated microorganisms that include symbiotic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium, bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses. The interactions among these components are crucial for coral health and, consequently, to the coral reef resilience to disturbance. Environmental stressors such as elevated temperature, high irradiance and ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lead to the breakdown of the coral-Symbiodinium symbiosis in a phenomenon known as “coral bleaching”. The present study provides evidence for virus-like particles (VLPs) induced in UV-irradiated Symbiodinium spp. cultures (clades A and C) that were isolated from the coral Mussismilia braziliensis, suggesting a latent viral infection in these strains. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images of the UV stressed cultures revealed the presence of giant (ca. 450 nm) and small (ca. 40 nm) VLPs. Morphological features link the giant VLPs to the family Megaviridae. Symbiodinium spp. Megaviridae giant viruses and other associated viruses may represent dynamic forces driving and influencing health of the coral holobiont.     

Genome characteristics of the proteorhodopsin-containing marine flavobacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polaribacter dokdonensis</Emphasis> DSW-5

Bacteria in the genus Polaribacter, belonging to the family Flavobacteriaceae, are typically isolated from marine environments. Polaribacter dokdonensis DSW-5, the type strain of the species, is a Gram-negative bacterium isolated from the East Sea of Korea. Whole genome shotgun sequencing was performed with the HiSeq 2000 platform and paired-end reads were generated at 188-fold coverage. The sequencing reads were assembled into two contigs with a total length of 3.08 Mb. The genome sequences of DSW-5 contain 2,776 proteincoding sequences and 41 RNA genes. Comparison of average nucleotide identities among six available Polaribacteria genomes including DSW-5 suggested that the DSW-5 genome is most similar to that of Polaribacter sp. MED152, which is a proteorhodopsin-containing marine bacterium. A phylogenomic analysis of the six Polaribacter strains and 245 Flavobacteriaceae bacteria confirmed a close relationship of the genus Polaribacter with Tenacibaculum and Kordia. DSW-5’s genome has a gene encoding proteorhodopsin and genes encoding 85 enzymes belonging to carbohydrate-active enzyme families and involved in polysaccharide degradation, which may play important roles in energy metabolism of the bacterium in the marine ecosystem. With genes for 238 CAZymes and 203 peptidases, DSW-5 has a relatively high number of degrading enzymes for its genome size suggesting its characteristics as a free-living marine heterotroph.     

The effect of temperature on growth and lipid and fatty acid composition on marine microalgae used for biodiesel production

Cultivation temperature is one of the major factors affecting the growth and lipid accumulation of microalgae. In this study, the effects of temperature on the growth, lipid content, fatty acid composition and biodiesel properties of the marine microalgae Chaetoceros sp. FIKU035, Tetraselmis suecica FIKU032 and Nannochloropsis sp. FIKU036 were investigated. These species were cultured at different temperatures (25, 30, 35 and 40 °C). The results showed that the specific growth rate, biomass and lipid content of all microalgae decreased with increasing temperature. With regards to fatty acids, the presence of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in T. suecica FIKU032 and Nannochloropsis sp. FIKU036 decreased with increasing temperature, in contrast with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Moreover, Chaetoceros sp. FIKU035 was the only species that could grow at 40 °C. The highest lipid productivity was observed in Chaetoceros sp. FIKU035 when cultivated at 25 °C (66.73 ± 1.34 mg L^?1 day^?1) and 30 °C (61.35 ± 2.89 mg L^?1 day^?1). Moreover, the biodiesel properties (cetane number, cold filter plugging point, kinematic viscosity and density) of the lipids obtained from this species were in accordance with biodiesel standards. This study indicated that Chaetoceros sp. FIKU035 can be considered as a suitable species for biodiesel production in outdoor cultivation.     

Phylogenetic reconstructions in the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Capra</Emphasis> (Bovidae,Artiodactyla) based on the mitochondrial DNA analysis

Mitochondrial genome fragments were examined in all species of the genus Capra (Bovidae, Artiodactyla). Phylogenetic analysis was carried out using 59 cytochrome b gene sequences (392 bp), and 22 sequences of the mtDNA variable fragment (402 bp). In the control region, two unique deletions were revealed. One of the deletions was found only in Capra cylindricornis (17 bp), while another one grouped C. caucasica with C. aegagrus (1 bp). The group of Caucasian wild goats splits into two clades, and furthermore, the sequences of C. caucasica demonstrate remarkable similarity to the sequences of C. aegagrus, while C. cylindricornis seems to have evolved independently for a long period of time. It was demonstrated that C. pyrenaica and C. ibex were extremely close to one another. Capra sibirica formed an outer group relative to the other species, and according to our data, was the most ancient species of the genus. On the contrary, genetic distance separating C. falconeri (the most independent species of the genus related to its morphology) from the other species is small.     

Taxonomic and functional diversity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calogaya</Emphasis> (lichenised Ascomycota) in dry continental Asia

The genus Calogaya (Teloschistaceae, Xanthorioideae) was established to accommodate mainly epilithic lichens with lobate thalli, previously regarded as the “Caloplaca saxicola group.” Data supporting the recognition of this new genus came from European lichens, and although the genus is soundly based, we have found in Asia numerous epiphytic lineages and lineages with reduced, non-lobate thallus in dry continental areas. The taxonomic and functional diversity of Calogaya is distinctly higher in steppe and desert areas of Asia than in the less arid regions of Europe. We sampled 238 specimens, mostly from arid regions of north-western China, Iran, southern Siberia and Turkey. Three nuclear DNA loci were analysed separately and jointly by Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and *BEAST approaches. Delimitations of 28 putative species were tested by BP&P multispecies coalescent model with joint analysis of species delimitation and species-tree estimation. Finally, we recognised 22 taxonomic units: 16 are at species rank, 3 are treated as subspecies and 3 are complexes, treated here as a single entity, but in reality probably including more than one species. Calogaya altynis, C. biatorina subsp. asiatica, C. decipiens subsp. esorediata, C. haloxylonis, C. orientalis, C. xanthoriella and C. xinjiangis are newly described. Caloplaca zoroasteriorum is combined into Calogaya, and Calogaya persica is reduced to a subspecies. The taxonomic status of Calogaya saxicola is unclear, and the name is employed here “sensu lato” for several non-monophyletic epilithic lineages with short-lobed thalli. Calogaya biatorina and C. ferrugineoides are the two other heterogeneous taxonomic units probably including more species.     

The Role of Epibionts of Bacteria of the Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudoalteromonas</Emphasis> and Cellular Proteasomes in the Adaptive Plasticity of Marine Cold-Water Sponges

It was found that cells of different color morphs of the cold-water marine sponges Halichondria panicea (Pallas, 1766) of the class Demospongiae differ in the content of epibionts of bacteria of the genus Pseudoalteromonas. The sponge cells with elevated levels of epibionts of bacteria of the genus Pseudoalteromonas showed an increased expression of Hsp70 proteins but had a reduced level of the proteasomal catalytic beta 5 subunit, which was accompanied by a change in their activity. Probably, epibionts of bacteria of the genus Pseudoalteromonas may affect the ubiquitin–proteasome system in the cells of cold-water marine sponges and, thereby, ensure their adaptive plasticity.     

Taxonomic genetics of methylotrophic yeast genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Komagataella</Emphasis>: New biological species <Emphasis Type="Italic">K. kurtzmanii</Emphasis>

Genetic hybridization analysis revealed that industrially important species Komagataella kurtzmanii has reproductive postzygotic isolation from K. pastoris, K. phaffii, K. populi, K. pseudopastoris, and K. ulmi. Therefore, it represents a new biological species of the genus Komagataella. The genetic data are in perfect agreement with the molecular taxonomy of the genus Komagataella.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lobocapillaria austropacifica</Emphasis> n. g., n. sp. (Nematoda: Capillariidae) from the obtuse barracuda <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphyraena obtusata</Emphasis> Cuvier (Sphyraenidae,Perciformes) off eastern Australia

Based on light and scanning electron microscopical studies, a new nematode parasite, Lobocapillaria austropacifica n. sp. (Capillariidae), is described from the gall-bladder of the marine fish (obtuse barracuda) Sphyraena obtusata Cuvier (Perciformes: Sphyraenidae) from off the eastern Pacific coast of Australia, for which a new genus Lobocapillaria n. g. is established. This new genus is mainly characterised by a single row of stichocytes, the presence of two large, conspicuously elongated lateral caudal lobes and a pair of subventral papillae at their base in males, a flat spicule distended laterally towards its proximal end and provided with superficial rough transverse grooves, a spicular canal and a very long, aspinose spicular sheath with a conspicuous expansion near its proximal end when evaginated. Capillaria sphyraeni Parukhin, 1971 is transferred to Lobocapillaria as L. sphyreni (Parukhin, 1971) n. comb. A key to capillariid genera containing species parasitic in fishes is provided.     

Isolation and Characterization of a Single-Stranded RNA Virus Infecting the Bloom-Forming Diatom Chaetoceros socialis

Diatoms are very significant primary producers in the world''s oceans. Various environmental factors affect the depletion of diatom populations. The importance of viruses as a potential mortality source has recently been recognized. We isolated and characterized a new diatom virus (Chaetoceros socialis f. radians RNA virus [CsfrRNAV]) causing the lysis of the bloom-forming species Chaetoceros socialis Lauder f. radians (Schütt) Proschkina-Lavrenko. The virus infectious to C. socialis f. radians was isolated from water samples collected in Hiroshima Bay. Here we show the physiology, morphology, and genome characteristics of the virus clone. Virions were 22 nm in diameter and accumulated in the cytoplasm of the host cells. The latent period and the burst size were estimated to be <48 h and 66 infectious units per host cell, respectively. CsfrRNAV harbors a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) genome and encodes at least three polypeptides of 32.0, 28.5, and 25.0 kDa. Sequencing analysis shows the length of the genome is 9,467 bases, excluding a poly(A) tail. The monophyly of CsfrRNAV and other diatom-infecting RNA viruses, Rhizosolenia setigera RNA virus and Chaetoceros tenuissimus RNA virus, was strongly supported by phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid sequence of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domains. This suggested a new ssRNA virus family, Bacillariornaviridae. This discovery of CsfrRNAV may aid in further understanding the ecological dynamics of the C. socialis f. radians population in nature and the relationships between ssRNA diatom viruses and their hosts.Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) account for a large part of the marine primary production, up to 35% in oligotrophic oceans and 75% in nutrient-rich systems (13). They play an important role in various marine systems as a food source for zooplankton and animal larvae. Moreover, diatoms are the primary oxygen producers for the atmosphere (25). Therefore, to understand diatom dynamics in nature is significant for biogeochemical science and fisheries studies. Phytoplankton population dynamics are the result of reproduction and losses. Losses include grazing, sinking, and natural mortality. Since the early 1990s, the importance of viruses infectious to microalgae is recognized as one of the principal causes of phytoplankton mortality. The direct evidence for the existence of diatom viruses was reported recently in 2004 (11). Since the discovery of the first diatom virus, the isolation and characterization of new viruses have been conducted. As a result, several new diatom viruses infecting ecologically important diatom members have been successfully isolated and reported.The first diatom virus, Rhizosolenia setigera RNA virus (RsRNAV), is a small icosahedral virus (32 nm) with a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) genome at 8,877 nucleotides (nt), excluding a poly(A) tail (11, 15). Thereafter, two Chaetoceros-infecting single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses were isolated and characterized: Chaetoceros salsugineum nuclear inclusion virus (CsNIV), a small (38-nm) virus harboring a covalently closed circular ssDNA (6,000 nt) and a segment of linear ssDNA (997 nt) (12) (H. Mizumoto, unpublished data), and Chaetoceros debilis DNA virus, whose partial genome sequence is highly similar to that of CsNIV (22). The genome analyses of the two ssDNA viruses showed that they are distinctive from previously reported viruses. The isolation of Chaetoceros nuclear inclusion virus (CspNIV) infectious to Chaetoceros cf. gracilis (a Chaetoceros sp. that looks like Chaetoceros gracilis) was also reported (1); however, its nucleic acid type is still unknown. A recent study reports the isolation of the second ssRNA diatom virus infectious to Chaetoceros tenuissimus (CtenRNAV). A phylogenetic analysis showed a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain from a genome sequence of CtenRNAV is highly similar to RsRNAV but less similar to other marine stramenopile organism viruses (16): Schizochytrium single-stranded RNA virus (SssRNAV) infecting a fungoid protist Aurantiochytrium sp. (formerly Schizochytrium sp.) (19) and Heterosigma akashiwo RNA virus (HaRNAV; Marnaviridae) infecting the bloom-forming raphidophyte H. akashiwo (7, 8). The ssRNA diatom viruses are unlike other known viruses at the family level. These reports suggest that the diatom viruses are an exclusively unique group distinct from previously described viruses where further study of diatom virus biology is significant to understand diatom ecology.Here we report the isolation and characterization of a new ssRNA virus (Chaetoceros socialis f. radians RNA virus [CsfrRNAV]) infecting Chaetoceros socialis Lauder f. radians (Schütt) Proschkina-Lavrenko, one of the dominant phytoplankton species in the marine environments in especially productive areas during spring blooms; e.g., in the North Water polynya, the maximum concentration of C. socialis was as high as 3.0 × 10⁴ cells ml⁻¹ (2). Here, we also propose a new ssRNA virus family (Bacillariornaviridae), composed of three diatom-infecting ssRNA viruses based on phylogenetic analysis using the RdRp domain and other genomic characters.     

Genetic diversity of coronaviruses in Miniopterus fuliginosus bats

Coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, pose significant public health threats. Bats have been suggested to act as natural reservoirs for both these viruses, and periodic monitoring of coronaviruses in bats may thus provide important clues about emergent infectious viruses. The Eastern bent-wing bat Miniopterus fuliginosus is distributed extensively throughout China. We therefore analyzed the genetic diversity of coronaviruses in samples of M. fuliginosus collected from nine Chinese provinces during 2011–2013. The only coronavirus genus found was Alphacoronavirus. We established six complete and five partial genomic sequences of alphacoronaviruses, which revealed that they could be divided into two distinct lineages, with close relationships to coronaviruses in Miniopterus magnater and Miniopterus pusillus. Recombination was confirmed by detecting putative breakpoints of Lineage 1 coronaviruses in M. fuliginosus and M. pusillus(Wu et al., 2015), which supported the results of topological and phylogenetic analyses. The established alphacoronavirus genome sequences showed high similarity to other alphacoronaviruses found in other Miniopterus species, suggesting that their transmission in different Miniopterus species may provide opportunities for recombination with different alphacoronaviruses. The genetic information for these novel alphacoronaviruses will improve our understanding of the evolution and genetic diversity of coronaviruses, with potentially important implications for the transmission of human diseases.     

Phylogenetic and morphological analysis of a new cliff-dwelling species reveals a remnant ancestral diversity and evolutionary parallelism in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sonchus</Emphasis> (Asteraceae)

We describe a new cliff-dwelling species within Sonchus (Asteraceae): Sonchus boulosii and analyze its systematic position and evolutionary significance; in addition, we provide a key to the species of Sonchus in Morocco. Both morphological and ecological characteristics suggest a close relationship of S. boulosii with taxa of section Pustulati. However, ITS nrDNA and cpDNA matK markers indicate its uncertain position within the genus, but clear genetic differentiation from the remaining major clades. ITS phylogenetic trees show that likely evolutionary shifts to rocky habitat took place at least five times within genus Sonchus and that sect. Pustulati and S. boulosii clades have a clearly independent evolutionary origin. We postulate that the strong resemblance of S. boulosii to other rocky species reflects a phenomenon of homoplasy, probably driven by parallel evolutionary adaptations to the severe ecological constraints of its cliff face habitat. Therefore, a new section is also described, which includes S. boulosii as its sole representative: section Pulvinati. According to phylogenetic trees, the new clade may share its common ancestor with the clade comprising sections Maritimi and Arvenses, from which it is widely divergent in morphology and ecology, with the exception of Sonchus novae-zelandiae. However, the latter is a derived taxon, with high level of polyploidy unlike S. boulosii that shows 2n?=?18, basal chromosome number of the genus. Since sections Pulvinati and Pustulati seem to be quite old in Sonchus, we also hypothesize that some similarities, such as fruit morphology, may reflect the persistence of some primitive characteristics.     

Disentangling <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phialophora</Emphasis> section <Emphasis Type="Italic">Catenulatae</Emphasis>: disposition of taxa with pigmented conidiophores and recognition of a new subclass,Sclerococcomycetidae (Eurotiomycetes)

A new genus Rhopalophora is described for Phialophora clavispora, a lignicolous species formerly placed in Phialophora section Catenulatae that possesses pigmented conidiophores, phialides with a single conidiogenous locus that occasionally appear as schizophialides, and clavate, aseptate conidia arranged in chains or sometimes in heads. Sexual morphs are not known for this taxon. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences from five loci (nucSSU, ITS, nucLSU, mitSSU, rpb1 and rpb2) of this and related fungi supports the introduction of a new family, Sclerococcaceae, for which we establish the order Sclerococcales. This order belongs to the new subclass Sclerococcomycetidae, a strongly supported clade within the Eurotiomycetes that is basal to a lineage containing the Chaetothyriomycetidae, Coryneliomycetidae and Eurotiomycetidae. Rhopalophora clavispora fits in this new family and is closely related to an isolate of Fusichalara minuta. The Sclerococcales also encompass marine, lignicolous species of Dactylospora, two species of the lichenicolous genus Sclerococcum, and a lineage comprised of strains from the digestive tracts of Neotropical wood-inhabiting beetles. We confirm that Dactylospora is polyphyletic; the phylogenetic placement of D. parasitica, the generic type, remains unknown.     

End of an enigma: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aenigmopteris</Emphasis> belongs in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tectaria</Emphasis> (Tectariaceae: Polypodiopsida)

The phylogenetic affinities of the fern genus Aenigmopteris have been the subject of considerable disagreement, but until now, no molecular data were available from the genus. Based on the analysis of three chloroplast DNA regions (rbcL, rps16-matK, and trnL-F) we demonstrate that Aenigmopteris dubia (the type species of the genus) and A. elegans are closely related and deeply imbedded in Tectaria. The other three species of genus are morphologically very similar; we therefore transfer all five known species into Tectaria. Detailed morphological comparison further shows that previously proposed diagnostic characters of Aenigmopteris fall within the range of variation of a broadly circumscribed Tectaria.     

Rapid MALDI biotyper-based identification and cluster analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptococcus iniae</Emphasis>

Streptococcus iniae causes severe mortalities among cultured marine species, especially in the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), which is economically important in Korea and Japan. Recently, there has been growing concern regarding the emergence of S. iniae as a zoonotic pathogen. Here, 89 S. iniae isolates obtained from diseased olive flounders collected from 2003 to 2008 in Jeju Island, South Korea, were characterized using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The results were aligned both with the available Bruker Daltonics data-base and with a new set of S. iniae data entries developed in our laboratory, and the results were compared. When we used the Bruker Daltonics database, the 89 isolates yielded either “no reliable identification” or were incorrectly identified as Streptococcus pyogenes at the genus level. When we used the new data entries from our laboratory, in contrast, all of the isolates were correctly identified as S. iniae at the genus (100%) and species (96.6%) levels. We performed proteomic analysis, divided the 89 isolates into cluster I (51.7%), cluster II (20.2%), and cluster III (28.1%), and then used the MALDI Biotyper software to identify specific mass peaks that enabled discrimination between clusters and between Streptococcus species. Our results suggest that the use of MALDI TOF MS could outperform the conventional methods, proving easier, faster, cheaper and more efficient in properly identifying S. iniae. This strategy could facilitate the epidemiological and taxonomical study of this important fish pathogen.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepotrema</Emphasis> Ozaki, 1932 (Lepocreadiidae: Digenea) from Indo-Pacific fishes,with the description of eight new species,characterised by morphometric and molecular features

We review species of the genus Lepotrema Ozaki, 1932 from marine fishes in the Indo-West Pacific. Prior to the present study six species were recognised. Here we propose eight new species on the basis of combined morphological and molecular analysis: Lepotrema acanthochromidis n. sp. ex Acanthochromis polyacanthus from the Great Barrier Reef (GBR); Lepotrema hemitaurichthydis n. sp. ex Hemitaurichthys polylepis and H. thompsoni from Palau and French Polynesia; Lepotrema melichthydis n. sp. ex Melichthys vidua from Palau and the GBR; Lepotrema amansis n. sp. ex Amanses scopas from the GBR; Lepotrema cirripectis n. sp. ex Cirripectes filamentosus, C. chelomatus and C. stigmaticus from the GBR; Lepotrema justinei n. sp. ex Sufflamen fraenatum from New Caledonia; Lepotrema moretonense n. sp. ex Prionurus microlepidotus, P. maculatus and Selenotoca multifasciata from Moreton Bay; and Lepotrema amblyglyphidodonis n. sp. ex Amblyglyphidodon curacao and Amphipron akyndynos from the GBR. We also report new host records and provide novel molecular data for two known species: Lepotrema adlardi Bray, Cribb & Barker, 1993 and Lepotrema monile Bray & Cribb, 1998. Two new combinations are formed, Lepotrema cylindricum (Wang, 1989) n. comb. (for Preptetos cylindricus) and Lepotrema navodonis (Shen, 1986) n. comb. (for Lepocreadium navodoni). With the exception of a handful of ambiguous records, the evidence is compelling that the host-specificity of species in this genus is overwhelmingly oioxenous or stenoxenous. This renders the host distribution in three orders and ten families especially difficult to explain as many seemingly suitable hosts are not infected. Multi-loci molecular data (ITS2 rDNA, 28S rDNA and cox1 mtDNA) demonstrate that Lepotrema is a good generic concept, but limited variability in sequence data and differences in phylogenies produced for different gene regions make relationships within the genus difficult to define.     

Revision of the carabid genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Meroctenus</Emphasis> Gemminger et Harold,with a new status of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xenodochus</Emphasis> Andrewes (Coleoptera,Carabidae: Harpalini)

Originally described as a monotypical genus with unclear taxonomic position from Sudan, Meroctenus Gemminger et Harold, 1868 is treated as a polytypical genus of the Selenophori genus group with two subgenera: Meroctenus s. str. and Xenodochus Andrewes, 1941, stat. n. (the latter was previously considered a distinct genus). Within Meroctenus, two species are recognized: M. (Meroctenus) crenulatus Chaudoir, 1843 (type species) and M. (M.) mediocris (Andrewes, 1936), comb, n., transferred to Meroctenus s. str. from Xenodochus. A new subspecies M. (M.) crenulatus orientalis subsp. n. is described from Pakistan. Diagnoses of the genus Meroctenus in new interpretation as well as of its two subgenera are discussed, and a taxonomic review of the subgenus Meroctenus s. str. with a key to the species and subspecies is provided. The following synonymy is proposed: Meroctenus Gemminger et Harold, 1868 = Paregaploa Müller, 1947, syn. n.; Meroctenus crenulatus (Chaudoir, 1843) = Egaploa (Paregaploa) conviva Müller, 1947, syn. n. Lectotypes are designated for Ctenomerus crenulatus Chaudoir, 1843 and Xenodus mediocris Andrewes, 1936.     

Taxonomic revisions in the Microstromatales: two new yeast species,two new genera,and validation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jaminaea</Emphasis> and two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sympodiomycopsis</Emphasis> species

Environmental sampling yielded two yeast species belonging to Microstromatales (Exobasidiomycetes, Ustilaginomycotina). The first species was collected from a leaf phylloplane infected by the rust fungus Coleosporium plumeriae, and represents a new species in the genus Jaminaea, for which the name Jaminaea rosea sp. nov. is proposed. The second species was isolated from air on 50% glucose media and is most similar to Microstroma phylloplanum. However, our phylogenetic analyses reveal that species currently placed in Microstroma are not monophyletic, and M. phylloplanum, M. juglandis and M. albiziae are not related to the type species of this genus, M. album. Thus, Pseudomicrostroma gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate the following species: P. glucosiphilum sp. nov., P. phylloplanum comb. nov. and P. juglandis comb. nov. We also propose Parajaminaea gen. nov. to accommodate P. albizii comb. nov. and P. phylloscopi sp. nov. based on phylogenetic analyses that show these are not congeneric with Jaminaea or Microstroma. In addition, we validate the genus Jaminaea, its respective species and two species of Sympodiomycopsis and provide a new combination, Microstroma bacarum comb. nov., for the anamorphic yeast Rhodotorula bacarum. Our results illustrate non-monophyly of Quambalariaceae and Microstromataceae as currently circumscribed. Taxonomy of Microstroma and the Microstromataceae is reviewed and discussed. Finally, analyses of all available small subunit rDNA sequences for Jaminaea species show that J. angkorensis is the only known species that possess a group I intron in this locus, once considered a potential feature indicating the basal placement of this genus in Microstromatales.     

Contribution to the phylogeny and a new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coccodiella</Emphasis> (Phyllachorales)

Coccodiella is a genus of plant-parasitic species in the family Phyllachoraceae (Phyllachorales, Ascomycota), i.e., tropical tar spot fungi. Members of the genus Coccodiella are tropical in distribution and are host-specific, growing on plant species belonging to nine host plant families. Most of the known species occur on various genera and species of the Melastomataceae in tropical America. In this study, we describe the new species C. calatheae from Panama, growing on Calathea crotalifera (Marantaceae). We obtained ITS, nrLSU, and nrSSU sequence data from this new species and from other freshly collected specimens of five species of Coccodiella on members of Melastomataceae from Ecuador and Panama. Phylogenetic analyses allowed us to confirm the placement of Coccodiella within Phyllachoraceae, as well as the monophyly of the genus. The phylogeny of representative species within the family Phyllachoraceae, including Coccodiella spp., graminicolous species of Phyllachora and taxa with erumpent to superficial stroma from several host families, suggests that the genus Phyllachora might be polyphyletic. Furthermore, tar spot fungi with superficial or erumpent perithecia seem to be restricted to the family Phyllachoraceae, independently of the host plant. We also discuss the biodiversity and host-plant patterns of species of Coccodiella worldwide.