Four new Brazilian species of Lonchocarpus (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae, Millettieae)

Lonchocarpus castaneifolius, L. grazielae, L. longiunguiculatus, and L. montanus from Brazil are described and illustrated based on field and herbarium studies. The first species belongs to Lonchocarpus sect. Punctati and is restricted to northeastern Brazil (Bahia state). The other three are included in sect. Laxiflori. Lonchocarpus grazielae is restricted to the southern coastal region (Santa Catarina state), L. montanus is found in northeastern Brazil (Bahia and Piauí states), the west-central region (Goiás and Tocantins states) and the southeast (Minas Gerais state), and L. longiunguiculatus occurs in northeastern (Bahia state) and southeastern (Minas Gerais state) Brazil.     

Additions to the mycobiota of the weed Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) in southeastern Brazil

A sequel to the work of systematic surveying the mycobiota of Lantana camara aimed at finding potential biocontrol agents, was carried out during 1995–1996 covering part of its centre of origin in Brazil (state of Minas Gerais). Fifty-eight sampling sites, representing the four main climatic types in the state of Minas Gerais, were surveyed. Additional ad hoc collections were made in the states of Bahia, Espírito Santo, Paraná Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Fifteen fungal species were recorded in association with L. camara including the previously undescribed species Phomopsis lantanae-glutinosae sp. nov. Five fungi are also newly recorded on this host in Brazil: Cercospora lantanicola Corynespora cassiicola Meliola ambigua Mycovellosiella lantaniphila and Phomopsis lantanae. The following fungi, previously recorded on L. camara in Brazil, are recorded here for the first time in Minas Gerais: Dendryphielia aspera Micropustulomyces mucilaginosus Mycovellosiella lantanae Pseudocercospora guianensis and Puccinia lantanae.     

A new species of Passiflora (Passifloraceae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Passiflora boticarioana, a new species of subgen.Passiflora, supersect.Stipulata, sect.Dysosmia, from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is described, illustrated, and compared with morphologically similar species.     

A new species of Campomanesia (Myrtaceae) from southeastern Brazil

Campomanesia simulans, a new species from the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brazil, is described and illustrated.     

Croton campanulatus (Euphorbiaceae s.s.), a new species from the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest

Croton campanulatus, a new species from southeastern Brazil in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, is here described and illustrated. Morphological data indicate that this species belongs to Croton section Cleodora based on its arborescent habit, pistillate flowers with imbricate sepals, reduced petals, and multifid styles that are fused at the base.     

Three new species of melastomataceae from the southeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil

Three species are described here that occur in montane and high-montane forests in Southeastern Brazil.Miconia shepherdii belongs to sectionGlossocentrum and occurs on the Serra da Mantiqueira, on the border between the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro.Miconia kollmannii belongs to sectionHypoxanthus (formerChaenanthera) and occurs in the state of Espírito Santo.Ossaea suprabasalis was also collected in the state of Espírito Santo.     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Habenaria</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Orchidaceae</Emphasis>) from the Brazilian cerrado and campo rupestre

Summary  Two new species, Habenaria ciliatisepala and H. egleriana (Orchidaceae, Orchideae), from the cerrado of central Brazil and campo rupestre of the Espinha?o mountain range in Minas Gerais and Bahia, are described and illustrated.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> strains associated with the production of cachaça: identification and characterization by traditional and molecular methods (PCR,PFGE and mtDNA-RFLP)

A study of the genetic diversity of populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was conducted in ten different cachaça producers (alambiques) in the southern state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total of 106 isolates were identified by PCR using the primer SCREC114, specific to S. cerevisiae, by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and by restriction fragment polymorphism of mitochondrial DNA analysis (RFLP-mtDNA). PCR showed a product of amplification to 61 isolates, enabling a rapid identification of S. cerevisiae in different alambiques. Nine different profiles were found by PFGE; all the yeasts identified as S. cerevisiae by PCR had profiles similar to that of the marker S. cerevisiae, highlighting the specificity of primer SCREC114. RFLP-mtDNA, using four different enzymes, enabled the grouping of strains of S. cerevisiae, with 80%–100% similarity. Some alambiques that had a higher frequency of S. cerevisiae characterized by PCR and PFGE, had a lower level of genetic diversity determined by RFLP-mtDNA, indicating the ability of these strains to lead the fermentative process.     

Vernonanthura warmingiana (Asteraceae: Vernonieae), a new species from Brazil

A new species ofVernonanthura (Asteraceae),V. warmingiana, from the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo is described and illustrated. The new species resemblesVernonanthura laxa, but differs in having 15–20 florets per capitula, small leaves, the blades elliptic to lanceolate and rounded at the apex. In addition, a new synonym is reported forVernonanthura laxa, which is also described, and for the first time illustrated.     

Three new species of Mimosa sect. Mimosa (Leguminosae,Mimosoideae) from the campos rupestres of Minas Gerais,Brazil

Three new species of Mimosa sect. Mimosa ser. Mimosa subser. Polycephalae (Leguminosae, Mimosoideae) are described and illustrated. Mimosa canastrensis, Mimosa chrysothrix, and Mimosa decumbens are all from the campos rupestres of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Discussions about the distributions, habitat, and phenology of the species are provided, in addition to comparisons with similar taxa.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Periconiella lecythidis</Emphasis> sp. nov., the causal agent of a zonate leaf spot disease of the Brazilian tree <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lecythis pisonis</Emphasis>

A new defoliating disease was observed on 20-year-old trees of Lecythis pisonis in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The disease is characterized by forming one or more large zonate epiphyllous leaf spots with a light brown to white center, followed by two to three zones gradually varying from brown to red-brown. On the corresponding abaxial leaf surface, the spots are lighter with a profuse greenish gray coloration caused by the fungal colonies. In PDA culture, the fungus is characterized by a slow growth of the colonies with brown-violet pigmentation at the reverse. Inoculation tests carried out on healthy plants of L. pisonis confirmed the pathogenicity of this fungus. Periconiella lecythidis sp. nov., the causal agent of the zonate leaf spot disease of L. pisonis is described, illustrated, discussed and compared with the other species of the genus Periconiella. The intricate generic affinity within a complex of morphologically similar hyphomycete genera consisting of Metulocladosporiella, Parapericoniella, Penidiella and Periconiella is discussed in detail.     

Novelties in Chamaecrista section Absus (Caesalpiniaceae)

Described, figured and discussed are two new species ofChamaecrista sect.Absus from campo rupestre habitats in southeastern Brazil:Ch. axiliflora Irwin & Barneby, of seriesAdenophyllae, from central Bahia, related toCh. adenophylla (Taubert) Irwin & Barneby; andCh. gumminans Irwin & Barneby, of seriesGlutinosae, from central Minas Gerais, related toCh. stilifera Irwin & Barneby.     

First report of Calyptospora sp. (Apicomplexa,Calyptosporidae) in forage characid fish from the Três Marias Reservoir,São Francisco Basin,Brazil

Coccidians are parasitic protozoans, and Calyptospora is an important genus of coccidia found in freshwater and marine fish of the Americas. This paper describes Calyptospora sp. that were found parasitizing the liver and intestine of Triportheus guentheri and the intestine of Tetragonopterus chalceus, two forage fish species from the Três Marias Reservoir, Upper São Francisco River, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Apicomplexa found in the São Francisco Basin are reported here for the first time.     

Four new species of Trembleya (Melastomataceae: Microlicieae) from Serra do Cabral, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Nine species of the Brazilian endemic genus, Trembleya, were collected during a floristic survey of the tribe Microlicieae on Serra do Cabral, an isolated mountain range in north-central Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Four of these are newly described and illustrated here: Trembleya inversa, T. purpurascens, T. rubra, and T. serrulata, represent new taxa for the genus. These new species appear to be endemic to Serra do Cabral where they occur in campo rupestre and cerrado vegetation. Serra do Cabral has the distinction of harboring more species of Trembleya than any other mountain range in Brazil.     

Pseudocercospora cryptostegiae-madagascariensis sp. nov. on Cryptostegia madagascariensis, an Exotic Vine Involved in Major Biological Invasions in Northeast Brazil

Cryptostegia madagascariensis is a plant native from Madagascar, belonging to the Apocynaceae that is invading the native vegetation in Northeast Brazil and threatening the unique riverine formations dominated by the carnauba palm. Individuals of C. madagascariensis cultivated in the campus of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, showing leaf spot symptoms of unknown etiology were observed. Two fungal species were found associated to such leaf spots: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and a new species of Pseudocercospora. The latter was named Pseudocercospora cryptostegiae-madagascariensis and described herein. The discovery of those two fungal pathogens on C. madagascariensis coincide with the recognition that the weedy vine that is involved in the infestations in the Northeast of Brazil is not Cryptostegia grandiflora as formerly reported. These mycological findings are of greater importance now since C. madagascariensis is likely to become a target for biological control together with its former status in Brazil of an ornamental plant of limited relevance.     

Hybridization in the babassu palm complex. II. Attalea compta × Orbignya oleifera (Palmae)

A new hybrid palm, ×Attabignya minarum, from the Rio São Francisco Valley of Minas Gerais, Brazil is described. It is a natural hybrid betweenAttalea compta Mart. andOrbignya oleifera Burret and is quite common in the area studied. Most of the morphological characters of the hybrid are intermediate between those of the parent species. A notable exception is the number of fruits produced; ×Attabignya minarum produces more fruits per panicle than either parent species. This is the first report of hybridization betweenOrbignya andAttalea and may shed light on the status ofOrbignya, considered by some to be synonymous withAttalea.     

Rickettsia amblyommii infecting Amblyomma sculptum in endemic spotted fever area from southeastern Brazil

The Rickettsia bacteria include the aetiological agents for the human spotted fever (SF) disease. In the present study, a SF groupRickettsia amblyommii related bacterium was detected in a field collected Amblyomma sculptum (Amblyomma cajennense species complex) tick from a Brazilian SF endemic site in southeastern Brazil, in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, state of Minas Gerais. Genetic analysis based on genes ompA,ompB and htrA showed that the detected strain, named R. amblyommii str. JF, is related to the speciesR. amblyommii.     

Zornia subsessilis (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae: Dalbergieae), a new species from Serra do Cabral, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Zornia subsessilis, a new species from Serra do Cabral, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, is described and illustrated on the basis of field and herbarium studies. It belongs to Zornia section Zornia of subgenus Zornia and it appears to be restricted to “campo rupestre” (rocky fields) within the “cerrado” biome. This new species is characterized by its sessile to subsessile leaves, fruits with articles 4 to 5 mm long and with bristles up to 3.5 mm long.