Isolation and characterization of 19 novel microsatellite loci in Rhododendron aureum and Rhododendron brachycarpum (Ericaceae)

Nineteen polymorphic microsatellite loci are described for Rhododendron aureum Georgi (Ericaceae), an endangered species in Korea, and the closely related Rhododendron brachycarpum. The sequences containing repeat motifs were identified using low-depth next generation sequencing and 148 microsatellite loci were examined for amplification success and the detection of polymorphisms. All 19 loci were polymorphic and the number of alleles for these markers varied from 4 to 25, with an average of 15 alleles per locus. Three R. aureum loci showed departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and one R. brachycarpum locus deviated significantly from HWE. These microsatellite loci will be useful for investigating the genetic diversity and population structure of both species.     

Comparative Phylogeography of Mississippi Embayment Fishes

The Mississippi Embayment is a prominent physiographic feature of eastern North America consisting of primarily lowland aquatic habitats and a fish fauna that is largely distinct from nearby highland regions. Numerous studies have demonstrated that both pre-Pleistocene and Pleistocene events have had a strong influence on the distributions and relationships of highland fishes in eastern North America. However, the extent to which these same events affected Embayment distributed taxa remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative roles of pre-Pleistocene and Pleistocene events in shaping phylogeographic relationships of four stream dwelling fishes in the Mississippi Embayment. Molecular genetic analyses of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b were performed for three ictalurid catfish species (Noturus miurus, n = 67; Noturus hildebrandi, n = 93, and Noturus phaeus, n = 44) and one minnow species (Cyprinella camura, n = 78), all distributed in tributary streams of the Mississippi Embayment. Phylogenetic relationships and divergence times among haplotypes for each species were estimated using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. Phylogenetic analyses recovered 6 major haplotype clades within N. miurus, 5 within N. hildbrandi, 8 within N. phaeus, and 8 within C. camura. All three Noturus species show a high degree of isolation by drainage, which is less evident in C. camura. A clade of haplotypes from tributaries in the southern portion of the Mississippi Embayment was consistently recovered in all four species. Divergence times among clades spanned the Pleistocene, Pliocene, and Miocene. Novel relationships presented here for C. camura and N. phaeus suggest the potential for cryptic species. Pre-Pleistocene and Pleistocene era sea level fluctuations coincide with some divergence events, but no single event explains any common divergence across all taxa. Like their highland relatives, a combination of both pre-Pleistocene and Pleistocene era events have driven divergences among Embayment lineages.     

Aeretesmelanopterus (Pteromyinae, Rodentia) from Tianyuan Cave near Zhoukoudian (Choukoutien) in China

The materials of Aeretesmelanopterus from the Tianyuan Cave, a Late Pleistocene site with human fossils recovered recently near Zhoukoudian, are the richest of this species ever reported in North China. Aeretesmelanopterus is an endemic species of China, its relationship with Petaurista and Trogopterus is still controversal. Studies based on the dental characters show that Aeretesmelanopterus resembles Petaurista more closely than Trogopterus. The earliest fossil record of Aeretesmelanopterus was found in South China in Middle Pleistocene deposits. The earliest records in the Beijing area are from Upper Cave and Tianyuan Cave at Zhoukoudian are of late-Late Pleistocene age, around 30 kyrs BP. The geographical distributions of this species are very limited. In evolution, Aeretesmelanopterus experienced both the increase and the decrease in tooth size; but its crown height of cheek teeth was continuously increasing.     

Arceuthobium (Viscaceae) in Mexico and Guatemala: Additions and range extensions

Three new dwarf mistletoes are described:Arceuthobium globosum subsp.grandicaule (Mexico and Guatemala),A. aureum subsp.aureum (Guatemala) andA. aureum subsp.petersonii (Chiapas, Mexico).Arceuthobium guatemalense is recorded for the first time in Mexico. Significant range extensions are recorded forA. abietisreligiosae, A. divaricatum,A. gillii subsp.nigrum, andA. rubrum. New hosts are reported for several taxa. Nineteen members of the genus are presently known from Mexico, and three (possibly four) from Guatemala. Chromosome counts are reported for the first time for 3 taxa.     

New analysis of the Pleistocene carnivores from Petralona Cave (Macedonia, Greece) based on the Collection of the Thessaloniki Aristotle University

New taxonomic study of the “old collection” of Carnivora from Petralona Cave, associated to the well-known hominid skull, housed in the Geology School of the Thessaloniki Aristotle University since 1960, revealed 11 species (Canis arnensis, Lycaon lycaonoides, Vulpes praeglacialis, Ursus deningeri, U. spelaeus, U. arctos, Pliocrocuta perrieri, Pachycrocuta brevirostris, Crocuta crocuta, Panthera leo spelaea, and Felis silvestris), which are described in detail. The species composition is typical of the eastern part of the European Mediterranean and may be divided into three biostratigraphic assemblages: early Middle Pleistocene, late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene.     

Exophiala macquariensis sp. nov., a cold adapted black yeast species recovered from a hydrocarbon contaminated sub-Antarctic soil

A new black yeast species, Exophiala macquariensis is described that is a member of the ascomycete family Herpotrichiellaceae, order Chaetothyriales. The genus Exophiala is comprised of opportunistic pathogens isolated from clinical specimens as well as species recovered from hydrocarbon contaminated environments. Several species have been reported to be able to degrade benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes. Here, a novel species of Exophiala (CZ06) previously isolated from a Sub-Antarctic, Macquarie Island soil that was spiked with Special Antarctic Blend diesel fuel (SAB) is described. This isolate has the capacity of toluene biodegradation at cold temperatures. Multilocus sequence typing showed that this fungus was closely related to the pathogenic species Exophiala salmonis and Exophiala equina. With the capacity to utilise hydrocarbons as a sole carbon source at 10 °C, this fungus has great potential for future bioremediation applications.     

A new genus and species from Borneo and a new species from Java and Sumatra of Cicadini (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

A new cicada genus and species, Minilomia triquetra, gen. and sp. nov., is described from Borneo. The new genus Minilomia is closely allied to Platylomia Stål and is placed in the subtribe Dundubiina of the tribe Cicadini. Another new cicada species, Pomponia brevicaudata, sp. nov. (subtribe Psithyristriina), is described from Java and Sumatra. The new species belongs to the Pomponia linearis species group and the P. linearis species complex but is distinguished from its congeners by the unusually short male abdomen.     

Articular and vertebral lesions in the Pleistocene sloths (Xenarthra,Folivora) from the Brazilian Intertropical Region

We performed a macroscopic study on six species of Pleistocene sloths from the Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR) including Valgipes bucklandi, Catonyx cuvieri, Mylodonopsis ibseni, Glossotherium sp., Ocnotherium giganteum and Eremotherium laurillardi and compared the results with a previous investigation of Nothrotherium maquinense and Ahytherium aureum. Differential diagnostic analysis revealed six varieties of musculoskeletal diseases: Calcium Pyrosphosphate Deposition Disease (CPPD), Spondyloarthropathy (SpA), Osteoarthritis (OA), Osteochondritis Dessicans (OD), Schmorl’s Node (SN) and Spondylosis Deformans (SD). We also carried out multivariate statistical analyses on all Pleistocene sloths to verify the similarity between taxa based on diagnosed diseases.     

Sussemionus, a new subgenus of Equus (Perissodactyla,Mammalia)

The new subgenus of Equus, Sussemionus, is defined by peculiar dental characters so far unknown, or exceptional in late Pleistocene and extant Equus; it was in consequence assumed to be restricted to the early and middle Pleistocene. During that period, it was highly successful, ranging from North America to Ethiopia, and included dry-adapted (E. granatensis-like) and more humid-adapted (E. coliemensis-like) species. Recent molecular and osteological analyses concurred to prove its survival until ca 45 KYBP in Khakassia, southwest Siberia, Russia.     

Three new species of Ponthieva (Orchidaceae, Spiranthoideae) from Colombia and Venezuela

Three new species of Ponthieva, P. camargoi, P. castanedoi, and P. cesarensis are described and illustrated based on Colombian and Venezuelan material. The comparisons of the floral characters of the new entities and closely allied species are illustrated. The information about habitat and ecology of all three species is provided and their distribution map is presented.     

The anthiine fishes,Odontanthias dorsomaculatus sp. nov. andPlectranthias hauchotae Randall,from the western Indian Ocean

A new serranid species,Odontanthias dorsomaculatus, is described from the Saya de Malha Bank, western Indian Ocean. This species is closely related toO. unimaculatus (Tanaka) from Japan, but differs from it in having a slenderer body, more lateral line scales and different coloration.Plectranthias bauchotae Randall, a rare anthiine fish collected from the same locality, is also described.     

Metastevia (Compositae: Eupatorieae): A new genus from Mexico

A new genus and species from Mexico,Metastevia hintonii, is described. The genus, considered to be closely related to and derived fromStevia, differs in seven morphological features from all known species ofStevia. The reasons for recognizing the new genus are discussed in detail.     

The formation of the Lycodinae fauna (Perciformes: Zoarcidae) of the Sea of Japan

The subfamily Lycodinae is represented in the Sea of Japan by two genera (Lycodes and Petroschmidtia) and seven species (Lycodes japonicus, L. nakamurae, L. raridens, L. tanakae, L. teraoi, L. yamatoi, and Petroschmidtia toyamensis), which are widely distributed on the shelf and upper continental slope. Based on the geographic and bathymetric distribution of eelpouts of the Sea of Japan and adjacent waters, two groups of closely related species with different types of distribution ranges were distinguished. The first group includes pairs of species that live primarily on the continental slope and are completely isolated in the Sea of Japan or in the Sea of Okhotsk. The second group is comprised of upper interzonal species of the Sea of Japan that are found on the continental slope and shelf, as well as in the southern Sea of Okhotsk from Terpeniya Bay to the southern Kuril Islands. Their related species in the Sea of Okhotsk are mostly found to the north of the Terpeniya Bay. The study of the eelpout distribution and the data on the geological history and paleoclimate of the Far East show that the Lycodinae fauna of the Sea of Japan was formed from North Pacific eelpout-like fishes during the isolation of the sea in the late Pliocene-early Pleistocene, which was concomitant with the general cooling of the Earth’s climate. During the Pleistocene interglacials, the eelpout migrations were unidirectional, from the Sea of Japan to the southern Sea of Okhotsk. The reconstruction of the formation of the Sea of Japan Lycodinae fauna suggests that the related taxa from the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk are separate species, while the northern and southern forms of species from the Sea of Japan (Lycodes yamatoi and L. teraoi) are no more than subspecies.     

Diazotrophic Burkholderia Species Associated with Field-Grown Maize and Sugarcane

Until recently, diazotrophy was known in only one of the 30 formally described species of Burkholderia. Novel N₂-fixing plant-associated Burkholderia species such as B. unamae, B. tropica, and B. xenovorans have been described, but their environmental distribution is scarcely known. In the present study, the occurrence of N₂-fixing Burkholderia species associated with different varieties of sugarcane and maize growing in regions of Mexico and Brazil was analyzed. Only 111 out of more than 900 isolates recovered had N₂-fixing ability as demonstrated by the acetylene reduction assay. All 111 isolates also yielded a PCR product with primers targeting the nifH gene, which encodes a key enzyme in the process of nitrogen fixation. These 111 isolates were confirmed as belonging to the genus Burkholderia by using a new 16S rRNA-specific primer pair for diazotrophic species (except B. vietnamiensis) and closely related nondiazotrophic Burkholderia. In Mexico, many isolates of B. unamae (predominantly associated with sugarcane) and B. tropica (more often associated with maize) were recovered. However, in Brazil B. tropica was not identified among the isolates analyzed, and only a few B. unamae isolates were recovered from one sugarcane variety. Most Brazilian diazotrophic Burkholderia isolates (associated with both sugarcane and maize plants) belonged to a novel species, as revealed by amplified 16S rRNA gene restriction profiles, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and protein electrophoresis. In addition, transmissibility factors such as the cblA and esmR genes, identified among clinical and environmental isolates of opportunistic pathogens of B. cenocepacia and other species of the B. cepacia complex, were not detected in any of the plant-associated diazotrophic Burkholderia isolates analyzed.     

A new endemic lineage of the Andean frog genus Telmatobius (Anura,Telmatobiidae) from the western slopes of the central Andes

The amphibian genus Telmatobius is a diverse group of species that inhabits the Andes. This study analysed the phylogenetic relationships of 19 species described from the central Andes of Chile and Bolivia, and 12 undescribed populations of Chile. A molecular phylogeny based on mitochondrial DNA 16S and cytochrome b shows that the Chilean species belong to three groups: (1) the Telmatobius marmoratus group, widespread in the Chilean and Bolivian Altiplano; (2) the Telmatobius hintoni group, including the species Telmatobius philippii, Telmatobius fronteriensis, and Telmatobius huayra, occurring in the south‐western Altiplano of Chile and Bolivia, and (3) the Telmatobius zapahuirensis group, a new clade which also includes Telmatobius chusmisensis, Telmatobius dankoi, and Telmatobius vilamensis, restricted to western slopes of the Andes, and which was recovered as more closely related to the T. hintoni group than the T. marmoratus group. The divergence times between clades were traced to the late Pleistocene. The molecular phylogeny also confirmed that the groups of the Altiplano and western Andes slopes form a clade separated from the species that inhabit the eastern Andes (Telmatobius verrucosus and Telmatobius bolivianus groups), supporting the forest origin of the Altiplano groups proposed by several previous authors. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London     

Rhododendron aureum Georgi formed a special soil microbial community and competed with above‐ground plants on the tundra of the Changbai Mountain,China

Rhododendron aureum Georgi is a perennial evergreen dwarf shrub that grows at all elevations within the alpine tundra of northern China. Previous research has investigated the plant communities of R. aureum; however, little information is available regarding interspecific competition and underground soil microbial community composition. The objective of our study was to determine whether the presence of R. aureum creates a unique soil microbiome and to investigate the relationship between R. aureum and other plant species. Our study site ranged from 1,800 to 2,600 m above sea level on the northern slope of the Changbai Mountain. The results show that the soil from sites with an R. aureum community had a higher abundance of nitrogen‐fixing bacteria and a higher resistance to pathogens than soils from sites without R. aureum. We emphasize that R. aureum promotes a unique soil microbial community structure that is distinct from those associated with other plants. Elevation and microbial biomass were the main influencing factors for plant community structure. Analysis of interspecific relationships reveals that R. aureum is negatively associated with most other dominant shrubs and herbs, suggesting interspecific competition. It is necessary to focus on other dominant species if protection and restoration of the R. aureum competition is to occur. In the future, more is needed to prove whether R. aureum decreases species diversity in the tundra ecosystems of Changbai Mountain.     

Gavialis from the Pleistocene of Thailand and Its Relevance for Drainage Connections from India to Java

Background

The genus Gavialis comprises a single living but endangered species, G. gangeticus, as well as fossil species recorded in the Miocene to Pleistocene deposits of the Indian subcontinent. The genus is also represented in the Pleistocene deposits of Java by the species G. bengawanicus, which was recently recognized to be valid. Surprisingly, no detailed report of the genus exists between these two provinces and the recent evolutionary history of Gavialis is not understood.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We report new material consisting of skull and mandibular remains of Gavialis from the Early Pleistocene of Khok Sung, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand. The Gavialis material described herein is attributed to Gavialis cf. bengawanicus and sheds new light on the occurrence of the genus in mainland SE Asia.

Conclusions/Significance

Comparison of this new material with other species referred to the genus Gavialis led us to preliminary restrict the content of the genus to three species, namely G. gangeticus Gmelin, G. bengawanicus Dubois and G. lewisi Lull. The occurrence of G. cf. bengawanicus in Thailand allows us to propose a scenario for the dispersal of Gavialis from Indo-Pakistan to Indonesia, thus bridging a geographical gap between these two provinces. Dispersal by sea appears a less likely possibility than dispersal through fluvial drainages.