On the taxonomic rank of <Emphasis Type="Italic">ciscaucasicus</Emphasis> and its relationships with the pygmy wood mouse <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sylvaemus uralensis</Emphasis> inferred from the mtDNA cytochrome b gene sequence

To specify the taxonomic rank of form ciscaucasicus (independent species Sylvaemus ciscaucasicus, or intraspecific form of pygmy wood mouse, S. uralensis), a 402-bp the mtDNA cytochrome b gene fragment (402 bp) was examined in ciscaucasicus individuals from six geographic localities of the Caucasus and Ciscaucasus (Krasnodar krai and Adygeya Republic) and 17 S. uralensis individuals from seven localities of the Russian Plain (Saratov oblast, Smolensk oblast, Voronezh oblast, Tula oblast, Moscow oblast, Tver’ oblast, and northern Krasnodar krai). For comparison, the cytochrome b gene was partly sequenced in the samples of yellow necked, S. flavicollis (n = 2, Samara oblast), and Caucasian, S. ponticus (n = 6, Krasnodar krai), wood mice. One Mus musculus specimen from Western Europe, whose nucleotide sequences were deposed in the GenBank, was used as intergeneric outgroup. Phylogenetic trees for the forms examined were constructed based on the mtDNA sequence variation and using the neighbor joining and maximum parsimony methods. The network of the cytochrome b haplotypes was also constructed. The level of genetic divergence was evaluated using Kimura’s two-parameter algorithm. Based on the data on the sequence variation in a 402-bp mtDNA cytochrome b gene fragment, the hypothesis on the species status of the ciscaucasicus form was. The mean intergroup distances (d) between the geographic groups of S. uralensis varied from 0.0036 to 0.0152. At the same time, the distances between the pygmy wood mice and the group of S. flavicollis-S. ponticus varies in the range from 0.0860 to 0.0935, and the level of intergeneric genetic differentiation (Sylvaemus-Mus) is higher than the latter index (d = 0.142). Ciscaucasicus should be considered as geographic substitution form of S. uralensis. Furthermore, the Caucasian populations of S. uralensis (= ciscaucasicus) were characterized by a threefold lower value of intergroup genetic divergence (d = 0.0062) than the East European populations (d = 0.0179). This finding pointed to some isolation of Caucasian populations of pygmy wood mouse and depletion of their gene pool. However other molecular genetic data (similarity of nucleotide composition and consistence of the levels of intra-and intergroup distances) suggest the absence of geographic subdivision between Caucasian and East European populations of S. uralensis relative to the molecular marker examined.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cantharellus</Emphasis> sect. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amethystini</Emphasis> in Asia

In this contribution on the genus Cantharellus in Asia, C. subvaginatus is described from the Republic of Korea as a close relative to the Chinese C. vaginatus, which is here reported for the first time from India. Both species are here placed in Cantharellus subg. Cantharellus sect. Amethystini, together with the Indian C. pseudoformosus (syn.: C. umbonatus) and the Malayan C. subamethysteus. As such, Asia has suddenly become the continent with the highest diversity for Amethystini. Species delimitation in sect. Amethystini is molecularly supported by a combined phylogenetic analysis of rDNA sequences obtained for LSU and ITS and additionally suggests the existence of a still undescribed species in North America. Character variability is discussed for all known members of Amethystini, including atypical specimens of the North American C. lewisii that are morphologically more reminiscent of the South Korean C. subvaginatus.     

Phylogenetic Relationships within <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllophaga</Emphasis> Harris (sensu <Emphasis Type="Italic">lato</Emphasis>) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae,Melolonthinae) with Emphasis on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Listrochelus</Emphasis> Blanchard

As partial results of a long-term project for the revision of the supraspecific classification of the American Melolonthini, using phylogenetic methods, interesting information on the relationships between the subgeneric groups of Phyllophaga Harris proposed by Saylor were obtained. The genus Listrochelus was described by Blanchard in 1851. However, in 1940, Saylor reduced it as a subgenus of Phyllophaga. The objective of the present study is to confirm the monophyly of Listrochelus by means of a phylogenetic analysis. A total of 132 species were analyzed; 31 species of them belong to Listrochelus, 76 are from other groups of Phyllophaga, and 25 species are from the outgroup. A morphological matrix with 281 characters was codified. A traditional search with 1000 iterations was performed in TNT. Branch support was investigated using the bootstrap method. Parsimony analysis resulted in ten equally parsimonious trees. The topology obtained in the strict consensus tree shows that the limits of Listrochelus are very clear (bootstrap 99%), supported by five synapomorphies and a combination of eight character states that are not exclusive to the group. Based on the hypothesis obtained, the restitution of the genus Listrochelus is proposed.     

Genetic relationships of Chukchi charr <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvelinus andriashevi</Emphasis> and Taranetz charr <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvelinus taranetzi</Emphasis>

On the basis of sequence analysis of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (CR), cytochrome b (Cytb), and cytochrome oxidase-1 (CoI) genes, the relationships of endemic species Salvelinus andriashevi Berg, 1948, represented by the only population from Lake Estikhed (Chukotka), were estimated. The data on the genealogical analysis of mtDNA haplotypes supported phylogenetic closeness of S. andriashevi and S. taranetzi. It was also demonstrated that the specimens of Chukchi charr, along with Salvelinus sp. 4 (Lake Nachikinskoe), S. krogiusae (Lake Dal’nee), S. boganidae and S. elgyticus (Lake El’gygytgyn), and S. a. erythrinus from Canada’s Northwest Territories (NWT) belonged to the Arctic group of Taranetz charr. The problem of coincidence of taxonomic differentiation of charrs of the genus Salvelinus based on morphological and genetic analyses is discussed.     

Ectomycorrhizae of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tuber huidongense</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">T. liyuanum</Emphasis> with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Castanea mollissima</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus armandii</Emphasis>

Tuber huidongense and T. liyuanum are common commercial white truffles in China that belong to the Rufum and Puberulum groups of the genus Tuber, respectively. Their mycorrhizae were successfully synthesized with two native trees—Castanea mollissima and Pinus armandii—under greenhouse conditions. The identities of the mycorrhizae were confirmed through internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analyses, and their morphological characteristics were described. All of the obtained mycorrhizae have an interlocking pseudoparenchymatous mantle, which is a typical feature of truffle mycorrhizae. The mycorrhizae of T. huidongense on the two trees have hyaline branched emanating hyphae, similar to the documented mycorrhizae of the Rufum group. The unramified, spiky, and hyaline cystidia on the mycorrhizae of T. liyuanum with both C. mollissima and P. armandii further confirmed that this characteristic is constant for the mycorrhizae of the Puberulum group. The successful mycorrhizal syntheses on the two nut-producing trees will be of economic importance in the cultivation of the two truffles.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Calcarisporium xylariicola</Emphasis> sp. nov. and introduction of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calcarisporiaceae</Emphasis> fam. nov. in Hypocreales

During a survey of fungicolous fungi, a novel taxon from the surface of stroma of an unidentified Xylaria species was collected. Phylogenetic analyses showed that this taxon clustered with Calcarisporium sp. and C. arbuscula isolates, but was resolved as a distinct species. A detailed morphological examination coupled with phylogenetic analysis indicated that the taxon represented a new species. Calcarisporium xylariicola sp. nov. is thus introduced. The new taxon is characterized by short conidiophores with swollen bases and less length/width ratio of conidia that distinguish it from other Calcarisporium species. Calcarisporium is presently placed in Hypocreales genera, incertae sedis genus. Species in the genus are largely fungicolous, or occasionally caulicolous or foliicolous, and have hyaline, erect, verticillate conidiophores and sympodial, polyblastic conidiation. A phylogenetic analysis of combined SSU, ITS, LSU, TEF and RPB2 sequence data from Calcarisporium species and other taxa in Hypocreales indicate that Calcarisporium is a distinct lineage from other families. Therefore, a new family, Calcarisporiaceae, in Hypocreales is introduced.     

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of key <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jatropha</Emphasis> species inferred from nrDNA ITS and chloroplast (<Emphasis Type="Italic">trn</Emphasis>L-F and <Emphasis Type="Italic">rbc</Emphasis>L) sequences

The genus Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae) contains species that are of significant economic and ornamental value. However, Jatropha breeding material is rather limited due to incomplete information regarding phylogenetic relationships among germplasm resources. Phylogenetic analyses were performed based on the internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA ITS), two chloroplast regions (trnL-F and rbcL), and the combined (ITS+trnL-F+rbcL) dataset among twenty-five specimens representing six key Jatropha species. Phylogenetic relationships of Jatropha were well resolved between subgenus Curcas and subgenus Jatropha, and demonstrated the intermediate position of section Polymorphae among sections of both subgenera. Jatropha curcas and J. integerrima demonstrated a close phylogenetic relationship. The molecular data agreed with the morphological classification that recognized J. multifida and J. podagrica in sec. Peltatae. The distinct intraspecific divergence that occurred in J. curcas could be attributed to restricted gene flow caused by geographical isolation and different ecological conditions. Phylograms produced with trnL-F and rbcL sequence data suggested slow rates of sequence divergence among Jatropha spp., while the ITS gene tree had good resolution suggesting high genetic variation of ITS among Jatropha species.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Elaphoglossum mickeliorum</Emphasis> (Dryopteridaceae), a new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Elaphoglossum</Emphasis> sect. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polytrichia</Emphasis> from Peru

Elaphoglossum mickeliorum, a new species from the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes, is here described and illustrated. It belongs to E. sect. Polytrichia, which is characterized by the presence of subulate scales and absence of hydathodes on the sterile leaves of adult sporophytes. Herbarium specimens of this new species were first collected by Alwyn H. Gentry ca. 40 years ago, but these got readily confused with E. erinaceum and went undescribed since then. The new species differs from members of the E. erinaceum complex by having a nearly continuous band of planar, nonsubulate scales along the laminar margins of sterile leaves. Based on this character, E. mickeliorum resembles species such as E. glaziovii, E. ornatum, and E. scolopendrifolium. It differs from these by the presence of minute glandular hairs on petioles and costae. A distribution map and a figure with line drawings are also provided. For comparative purposes, the line drawing includes E. blepharoglottis, which is here illustrated for the first time.     

The first complete <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mag</Emphasis> family retrotransposons discovered in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis>

A retrotransposon of the Mag family was found in the Drosophila simulans genome for the first time. We also identified novel transposable elements representing the Mag family in seven Drosophila species. The high similarity between the 3’ and 5’ long terminal repeats in the found copies of transposable elements indicates that their retrotransposition has occurred relatively recently. Thus, the Mag family of retrotransposons is quite common for the genus Drosophila.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Parasitaxus</Emphasis> parasitized: novel infestation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parasitaxus usta</Emphasis> (Podocarpaceae)

The world’s sole ‘parasitic’ gymnosperm Parasitaxus usta (Podocarpaceae) is endemic to the island of Grande Terre, New Caledonia. It is a threatened species because of its limited geographic range and progressing habitat fragmentation. Here, we report a novel scale insect outbreak on a Parasitaxus sub-population from Monts Dzumac in the southern part of Grande Terre. The identity of the scale insect was determined through combining morphological and molecular methods. The field collection of scale insects and their secretions from infested Parasitaxus specimens allowed morphological identification of the superfamily Coccoidea. Subsequent genetic sequencing using CO1 markers allowed phylogenetic placement of the wax scale insects to the genus Ceroplastes (Coccoidea, Coccidae), a widespread pest genus. The identified species, C. pseudoceriferus, has not been previously recorded from New Caledonia. As Parasitaxus is already vulnerable to extinction, this new threat to its long-term survival needs to be monitored. Other New Caledonian endemic plant species are potentially at risk of this new species, although it was not observed on Falcatifolium taxoides, the host of Parasitaxus.     

Molecular systematics of the critically-endangered North American spinymussels (Unionidae: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Elliptio</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pleurobema</Emphasis>) and description of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parvaspina</Emphasis> gen. nov.

Despite being common in numerous marine bivalve lineages, lateral spines are extremely rare among freshwater bivalves (Bivalvia: Unionidae), with only three known species characterized by the presence of spines: Elliptio spinosa, Elliptio steinstansana, and Pleurobema collina. All three taxa are endemic to the Atlantic Slope of southeastern North America, critically endangered, and protected by the US Endangered Species Act. Currently, these species are recognized in two genera and remain a source of considerable taxonomic confusion. Because spines are rare in freshwater mussels and restricted to a small region of North America, we hypothesized that spinymussels represent a monophyletic group. We sequenced two mtDNA gene fragments (COI and ND1) and a fragment of the nuclear ITS-1 locus from >70 specimens. Bayesian and maximum-likelihood phylogenetic reconstructions suggest that the spinymussels do not comprise a monophyletic group. Elliptio steinstansana is sister to P. collina, forming a monophyletic clade that was estimated to have diverged from its most recent ancestor in the late Miocene and is distinct from both Elliptio and Pleurobema; we describe a new genus (Parvaspina gen. nov.) to reflect this relationship. Additionally, E. spinosa forms a monophyletic clade that diverged from members of the core Elliptio lineage in the mid-Pliocene. Furthermore, E. spinosa is genetically divergent from the other spinymussel species, suggesting that spines, while extremely rare in freshwater mussels worldwide, may have evolved independently in two bivalve lineages. Recognizing the genetic distinctiveness and inter-generic relationships of the spinymussels is an important first step towards effectively managing these imperiled species and lays the groundwork for future conservation genetics studies.     

A metagenomic assessment of the bacteria associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lucilia sericata</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lucilia cuprina</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Diptera: Calliphoridae</Emphasis>)

Lucilia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a blow fly genus of forensic, medical, veterinary, and agricultural importance. This genus is also famous because of its beneficial uses in maggot debridement therapy (MDT). Although the genus is of considerable economic importance, our knowledge about microbes associated with these flies and how these bacteria are horizontally and trans-generationally transmitted is limited. In this study, we characterized bacteria associated with different life stages of Lucilia sericata (Meigen) and Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) and in the salivary gland of L. sericata by using 16S rDNA 454 pyrosequencing. Bacteria associated with the salivary gland of L. sericata were also characterized using light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results from this study suggest that the majority of bacteria associated with these flies belong to phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes, and most bacteria are maintained intragenerationally, with a considerable degree of turnover from generation to generation. In both species, second-generation eggs exhibited the highest bacterial phylum diversity (20 % genetic distance) than other life stages. The Lucilia sister species shared the majority of their classified genera. Of the shared bacterial genera, Providencia, Ignatzschineria, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Vagococcus, Morganella, and Myroides were present at relatively high abundances. Lactobacillus, Proteus, Diaphorobacter, and Morganella were the dominant bacterial genera associated with a survey of the salivary gland of L. sericata. TEM analysis showed a sparse distribution of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in the salivary gland of L. sericata. There was more evidence for horizontal transmission of bacteria than there was for trans-generational inheritance. Several pathogenic genera were either amplified or reduced by the larval feeding on decomposing liver as a resource. Overall, this study provides information on bacterial communities associated with different life stages of Lucilia and their horizontal and trans-generational transmission, which may help in the development of better vector-borne disease management and MDT methods.     

Taxonomic and phylogenetic placement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nodulosphaeria</Emphasis>

Nodulosphaeria is a ubiquitous genus that comprises saprobic, endophytic and pathogenic species associated with a wide variety of substrates and has 64 species epithets listed in Index Fungorum. The classification of species in the genus has been a major challenge due to a lack of understanding of the importance of characters used to distinguish taxa, as well as the lack of reference strains. The present study clarifies the phylogenetic placement of the genus and related species, using fresh collections from Italy. Four Nodulosphaeria species are characterized based on multi-loci analyses of ITS, LSU, SSU, TEF and RPB2 sequence datasets. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that Nodulosphaeria species group within the family Phaeosphaeriaceae as a distinct genus. The sexual morphs of Nodulosphaeria hirta and N. spectabilis are described and illustrated using modern concepts. Two new Nodulosphaeria species are introduced. The phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy of the genus Nodulosphaeria are discussed, but further sampling with fresh collections, reference or ex-type strains and molecular data are needed to obtain a better and natural classification for the genus.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bruguiera hainesii</Emphasis>, a critically endangered mangrove species,is a hybrid between <Emphasis Type="Italic">B. cylindrica</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">B. gymnorhiza</Emphasis> (Rhizophoraceae)

Bruguiera hainesii (Rhizophoraceae) is one of the two Critically Endangered mangrove species listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Although the species is vulnerable to extinction, its genetic diversity and the evolutionary relationships with other Bruguiera species are not well understood. Also, intermediate morphological characters imply that the species might be of hybrid origin. To clarify the genetic relationship between B. hainesii and other Bruguiera species, we conducted molecular analyses including all six Bruguiera species using DNA sequences of two nuclear genes (CesA and UNK) and three chloroplast regions (intergenic spacer regions of trnL-trnF, trnS-trnG and atpB-rbcL). For nuclear DNA markers, all nine B. hainesii samples from five populations were heterozygous at both loci, with one allele was shared with B. cylindrica, and the other with B. gymnorhiza. For chloroplast DNA markers, the two haplotypes found in B. hainesii were shared only by B. cylindrica. These results suggested that B. hainesii is a hybrid between B. cylindrica as the maternal parent and B. gymnorhiza as the paternal one. Furthermore, chloroplast DNA haplotypes found in B. hainesii suggest that hybridization has occurred independently in regions where the distribution ranges of the parental species meet. As the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species currently excludes hybrids (except for apomictic plant hybrids), the conservation status of B. hainesii should be reconsidered.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phylloporia minutipora and P. radiata</Emphasis> spp. nov. (Hymenochaetales,Basidiomycota) from China and a key to worldwide species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phylloporia</Emphasis>

Phylloporia is a monophyletic genus within the Hymenochaetaceae as recovered by nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (nLSU) sequences. According to the summarization of 38 species accepted in this genus, Phylloporia is characterized by an absence of setae and the presence of abundant thick-walled, colored and tiny basidiospores, although its other morphological characters are highly diverse. Nine herbarium specimens from China, fitting the morphological concept of Phylloporia, were morphologically and phylogenetically studied in detail. The phylogeny inferred from nLSU sequences shows that the nine specimens formed three terminal lineages within the Phylloporia clade. Two lineages being composed of four specimens from Hainan and three from Guizhou were newly described as Phylloporia minutipora and P. radiata, respectively. In Phylloporia, P. minutipora is distinct by a combination of annual, sessile and imbricate basidiocarps, distinctly concentrically sulcate pileal surface with obtuse margin, angular pores of 12–15 per mm, duplex context separated by a black zone, a dimitic hyphal system, and broadly ellipsoid basidiospores of 2.5–3?×?2–2.5 μm, while P. radiata is distinct by a combination of annual, sessile and imbricate basidiocarps, faintly sulcate and radially striate pileal surface, sharp pileal margin, angular pores of 8–10 per mm, duplex context separated by a black zone, a monomitic hyphal system, and broadly ellipsoid basidiospores of 2.5–3.5?×?2–2.5 μm. The third lineage, comprising two specimens from Hainan, was morphologically determined as Phylloporia pulla. This species was recently combined to Phylloporia based on only morphological characters, and the current study for the first time generated its molecular sequences for phylogenetic reference. A key to all 40 species of Phylloporia is provided.     

Leaf spot disease on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tilia cordata</Emphasis> caused by the fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cercospora microsora</Emphasis>

Increased incidence of leaf spots on many tree species, up to the presence of peripheral importance only, including linden trees was noticed recently. First massive and continuous occurence of the fungus Cercospora microsora Sacc. [teleomorph Mycosphaerella millegrana (Cook.) Schröet., Mycosphaerella microsora Syd.], causal agent of anthracnose on linden trees (Tilia cordata Mill.) grown in urban plantings in Slovakia was reported. Along with this, certain of the important growth characteristics of this fungus were studied under laboratory conditions. To specify Cercospora biology mycelial growth of C. microsora in pure hyphal cultures was observed in relation to medium and locality. One-way ANOVA has confirmed a statistically significant influence of both factors, culture medium and locality on growth rate values of C. microsora. The effect of these factors has not proved unambiguously in all cases. In the case of one locality (Nitra), the significant influence of used media has not been proved (P > 0.05). PDAg showed generally as the most suitable medium, inducing the most intensive growth in three localities (41.06 mm/week on average). Comparing three localities, the effect of this factor is not so unambiguous. Growth rate values from the localities Bratislava and Pribeta indicate unsuitability of medium A for the fast radial growth. A Tukey test separately conducted for the factors medium and the locality revealed the significant combinations of means (P ≤ 0.05).