A new clade of Mesorhizobium nodulating Alhagi sparsifolia

We isolated 33 nodule bacteria from the legume Alhagi sparsifolia growing in the desert of northwest China. They fell into three groups by restriction analysis of their rrs (small subunit ribosomal RNA) genes, and these, together with dnaK and dnaJ genes, were sequenced from representative isolates to assess their taxonomic position by phylogenetic analysis. The bacteria in each group belonged to different lineages that might represent three different new Mesorhizobium species, two of which form a novel clade very distinct from other species in the genus. Most A. sparsifolia symbionts harboured closely related nodA and nodC genes forming new lineages. The presence of these closely related symbiosis genes in various genomic backgrounds and the incongruence observed between the different gene phylogenies indicate a history of horizontal gene transfer of symbiosis genes between the A. sparsifolia symbionts.     

Draconematidae (Nematoda) from cold-water corals in the Porcupine Seabight: The genus Cygnonema Allen & Noffsinger, 1978

Two new and closely related species of the genus Cygnonema Allen & Noffsinger, 1978 are described from a cold-water coral degradation zone in the Porcupine Seabight (NE Atlantic). Both species differ from C. steineri Allen & Noffsinger, 1978 by more pronounced pharyngeal and posterior swellings, a smaller body, a shorter pharynx in relation to body length, a higher number of CAT, and by the absence of a dorsal tooth. Cygnonema verum sp. n. differs from C. belgicae sp. n. by its greater body length, the relatively larger head capsule, a higher number of CAT, a more anteriorly positioned anteriormost laterodorsal CAT, a higher number of PAT, by the external labial sensilla being setiform, a higher number of subcephalic setae, and by a more anterior position of the amphidial fovea on the head capsule. Males of C. verum sp. n. are easily recognised by the presence of two large subventral, precloacal corniform setae. They also differ from males of C. belgicae sp. n. in the smaller amount of cytoplasm in the sperm cells, a knob-like capitulum, and a relatively shorter tail tip. The diagnosis of Cygnonema is emended, a dichotomic identification key to the three species is provided, and their biogeography is discussed.     

A reappraisal of the dinoflagellate cyst genus Montanarocysta

The dinocyst genus Montanarocysta Corradini is emended, based on re-examination of the holotype, the paratype and well-preserved specimens of the type species, Montanarocysta aemiliana Corradini. This re-examination shows that M. aemiliana has a sexiform gonyaulacacean tabulation incompletely delineated by processes and septa, a large untabulated ventral area, an apical archeopyle type (tA)a with well-developed precingular accessory sutures, and a simple adnate operculum attached to the sulcal as and precingular plates 1? and 6?. Maghrebinia chleuh Below and Maghrebinia mirabilis (Below) Masure are here transferred to Montanarocysta, since they have closely similar morphology to M. aemiliana. Previously Atopodinium Drugg has been considered as taxonomic senior synonym of Maghrebinia Below and Bejuia Stover Williams, and the species in these two genera have been transferred to Atopodinium. From the present analyses, Atopodinium is separated from Montanarocysta on the ornamentation: Atopodinium has a more subdued ornamentation, consisting of ridges, folds, grana and gemmae; whereas Montanarocysta is characterised by processes and septa. Maghrebinia is herein retained as separate genus, which has a ceratocoryacean tabulation and contains the single species Maghrebinia perforata Below.     

A new species of the rare buthid scorpion genus Lissothus Vachon, 1948 from Central Algeria (Scorpiones,Buthidae)

Taxonomic considerations are given for the genus Lissothus Vachon, 1948 (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Two species are currently known, Lissothus bernardi Vachon, 1948 from Libya and Lissothus occidentalis Vachon, 1950 from Mauritania. In this contribution, a new species, Lissothus chaambi sp. n., is described from the desert of Central Algeria. The new species is most closely related to L. bernardi. The geographical distribution of the genus is discussed.     

Systematics and evolution of the genus Torrubiella (Hypocreales, Ascomycota)

Torrubiella is a genus of arthropod-pathogenic fungi that primarily attacks spiders and scale insects. Based on the morphology of the perithecia, asci, and ascospores, it is classified in Clavicipitaceae s. lat. (Hypocreales), and is considered a close relative of Cordyceps s. 1., which was recently reclassified into three families (Clavicipitaceae s. str., Cordycipitaceae, Ophiocordycipitaceae) and four genera (Cordyceps s. str, Elaphocordyceps, Metacordyceps, and Ophiocordyceps). Torrubiella is distinguished morphologically from Cordyceps s. lat. mainly by the production of superficial perithecia and the absence of a well-developed stipitate stroma. To test and refine evolutionary hypotheses regarding the placement of Torrubiella and its relationship to Cordyceps s. lat., a multi-gene phylogeny was constructed by conducting ML and Bayesian analyses. The monophyly of Torrubiella was rejected by these analyses with species of the genus present in Clavicipitaceae, Cordycipitaceae, and Ophiocordycipitaceae, and often intermixed among species of Cordyceps s. lat. The morphological characters traditionally used to define the genus are, therefore, not phylogenetically informative, with the stipitate stromata being gained and/or lost several times among clavicipitaceous fungi. Two new genera (Conoideocrella, Orbiocrella) are proposed to accommodate two separate lineages of torrubielloid fungi in the Clavicipitaceae s. str. In addition, one species is reclassified in Cordyceps s. str. and three are reclassified in Ophiocordyceps. The phylogenetic importance of anamorphic genera, host affiliation, and stipitate stromata is discussed.     

Cieneguiticeras, a new genus of Tithonian oppeliids (Ammonoidea, Late Jurassic)

The new genus Cieneguiticeras, assigned to the family Oppeliidae, is described on the basis of Andean lower-middle Tithonian ammonites from Arroyo Cieneguita, west-central part of the Neuquén-Mendoza Basin, Argentina. The macroconchs are closely homoeomorphic with Neochetoceras Spath and the microconchs have a ‘glochiceratid’-type morphology. The stratigraphic range of Cieneguiticeras nov. gen. includes the lower and middle Tithonian by means of a succession of two or three species which are interpreted as members of a phyletic lineage. Ammonites from the Tithonian of Cuba, Mexico and France are more or less confidently included in this new genus.     

Two new species of the genus Pliciloricus (Loricifera, Pliciloricidae) from the Faroe Bank, North Atlantic

Five cruises to the Faroe Bank in the northeast Atlantic revealed a rich loriciferan fauna inhabiting shell gravel to fine carbonate sand. This paper describes two new species of Pliciloricus found at depths of 120-260 m. Currently, only six species of this genus have been described from various localities around the world, but several new species are currently being described. The diagnosis of the genus Pliciloricus is emended to include the two new taxa. The first of the two new species Pliciloricus leocaudatus sp. n. is characterized by having four new kinds of scalids in the second row and an additional row of alternating plates in the eighth row. The second species Pliciloricus shukeri sp. n. is characterized in having a secondary double organ in the third row. The morphology of the two species, including the new structures, has been investigated using LM and scanning electron microscopy. Conclusively, the scalid pattern of the introvert of Pliciloricus has been re-evaluated, due to the finding of the new structures. Additionally, a discussion of the life cycle of the genus Pliciloricus is given, since the postlarval stage is reduced in both new species.     

A new high-elevation scorpion species of the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Scorpiopinae) from the Himalayas,India

A new high-elevation scorpion species of the genus Scorpiops is described from the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Scorpiops spitiensis sp. nov. is the second highest-elevation scorpion species in Asia and the first one from India occurring at elevations above 4200 m. The new species closely resembles Scorpiops petersii, but it can be distinguished from it based on a suit of characters, one of which is the presence of 16 trichobothria on the external aspect of the patella, which is unique to the new species.     

Structure and development of the style base in Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis, and Fimbristylis (Cyperaceae,Cyperoideae, Abildgaardieae)

The Abildgaardieae tribe within the family Cyperaceae comprises six or seven genera, among which Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis and Fimbristylis pose a challenge regarding their morphological delimitation. Molecular phylogenetic analyses including species of Abildgaardieae are rare, but in most of those studies, Abildgaardia and Fimbristylis appear as more closely related to each other than to the Bulbostylis genus. Duration of the style base has been one of the most widely used characters for delimiting these three genera. The style base is a persistent structure in most species of Bulbostylis and deciduous in Abildgaardia and Fimbristylis. The reasons why the style base may persist or fall off have been scarcely discussed. The assumption that abscission layers are present in the style base of all three genera and the fact that tracheids have been observed in the style base of Bulbostylis suggest that this structure might have histological complexity. In view of this, a complete ontogenetic and anatomical study of the gynoecium has been carried out for all these three genera. It turned out that the style base is histologically simple in Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis and Fimbristylis and shows similar structure and development in all three genera. The fact that the style base has a shorter duration in Abildgaardia and Fimbristylis than in Bulbostylis might be related to the lower number of sclerotised cells that make up such structures in the mature fruit of the former two genera. Abscission of the style and style base may be the result of much simpler reasons than the differentiation of an abscission layer, resulting merely from mechanical shear force effects. Differences among genera have been observed in the shape of the style base and the development of the style. The histological simplicity of the style base is consistent with the homoplastic appearance of this structure in genera that are not closely related (e.g. Rhynchospora). Because of this, while the presence of the thickened style base seems to be a synapomorphy in species of Abildgaardieae, its persistence on or detachment from the fruit might have emerged repeatedly during this clade evolution and might not be a suitable character for genera delimitation.     

A new genus of soft coral (Cnidaria,Octocorallia) from the Republic of Congo (Pointe-Noire Region)

A new genus of soft coral from the Republic of Congo is described, Complexum gen. n. Nine West African octocoral species previously described in the genus Alcyonium by Tixier-Durivault (1955) are referred to this new genus, and a new species is described and figured, Complexum pusillum sp. n. The new species is characterized by having encrusting growth form and abundant spiny clubs in the surface of the polyparium. It colonizes shallow calcareous rocky banks (5 to 20 m depth) existing in coastal water of the region of Pointe-Noire. Based on molecular phylogeny this new genus is well separated from Alcyonium species.     

Heavy metal tolerant Metalliresistens boonkerdii gen. nov., sp. nov., a new genus in the family Bradyrhizobiaceae isolated from soil in Thailand

Bacterial strains from inoculated soybean field soil in Thailand were directly isolated using Bradyrhizobium japonicum selective medium (BJSM), on the basis of Zn²⁺ and Co²⁺ resistance of B. japonicum and B. elkanii. The isolates were classified into symbiotic and non-symbiotic groups by inoculation assays and Southern hybridization of nod and nif genes. In this study, a nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the non-symbiotic isolates were more closely related to members of Rhodopseudomonas and to a number of uncultured bacterial clones than to members of Bradyrhizobium. Therefore, a polyphasic study was performed to determine the taxonomic positions of four representatives of the non-symbiotic isolates. Multilocus phylogenetic analysis of individual genes and a combination of the 16S rRNA and three housekeeping genes (atpD, recA and glnII) supported the placement of the non-symbiotic isolates in a different genus. The ability of heavy metal resistance in conjunction with phenotypic analyses, including cellular fatty acid content and biochemical characteristics, showed that the non-symbiotic isolates were differentiated from the other related genera in the family Bradyrhizobiaceae. Therefore, the non-symbiotic isolates represented a novel genus and species, for which the name Metalliresistens boonkerdii gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NS23 (= NBRC 106595^T = BCC 40155^T).     

Two new species of the stonefly genus Amphinemura (Insecta,Plecoptera, Nemouridae) from China

Two new species of the genus Amphinemura Ris from China are described and illustrated, i.e. A. annulata Du & Ji, sp. n. from Zhejiang, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Guizhou Province, and A. lingulata Du & Wang, sp. n. from Shaanxi and Sichuan Province. A. annulata is similar to A. tricintusidens Wang & Zhu in having an apical cavity of the epiproct, but the epiproct ventral sclerite and the median paraproct lobe of the two species are different. A. lingulata is related to A. didyma Zhu & Yang in having the similar epiproct, but they differ mostly in paraproct median and outer lobes.     

A new role for the SHATTERPROOF genes during Arabidopsis gynoecium development

Gynoecium development is a complex process which is regulated by key factors that control the spatial formation of the apical, medial and basal parts. SHATTERPROOF1 (SHP1) and SHP2, two closely related MADS-box genes, redundantly control the differentiation of the dehiscence zone and promote the lignification of adjacent cells. Furthermore, SHP1 and SHP2 have shown to play an important role in ovule identity determination. The present work identifies a new function for these two genes in promoting stigma, style and medial tissue development. This new role was discovered by combining the shp1 shp2 double mutant with the aintegumenta (ant) and crabs claw (crc) mutants. In quadruple mutant flowers, the inner whorl is composed of unfused carpels which lack almost completely apical and medial tissues, a phenotype similar to the previously reported fil ant and lug ant double mutants.     

The problematic cemented Devonian brachiopod Schuchertellopsis durbutensis Maillieux, 1939

The Devonian cemented brachiopod Schuchertellopsis durbutensis has proved difficult to classify and its possible taxonomic relationships are unknown. Morphologically Schuchertellopsis resembles more closely members of the Orthotetidina than the Davidsoniidina. Examination of the shell structure, a key diagnostic feature of the Orthotetidina, shows that Schuchertellopsis has the cross laminar secondary shell typical of all orthotetidines. However, the presence of both pseudopunctate and incipient an extropunctate fabric within the ventral valve is unique amongst orthotetidine brachiopods and is thought to represent a phase of shell fabric experimentation. Schuchertellopsis probably fits most comfortably within the Schuchertellidae, and is the earliest representative of that family.     

Three new species of the genus Ripipteryx from Colombia (Orthoptera,Ripipterygidae)

Three new species of Ripipteryx Newman (Orthoptera: Tridactyloidea: Ripipterygidae) are described from Colombia; namely Ripipteryx diegoi sp. n. (Forceps Group) and Ripipteryx guacharoensis sp. n. (Marginipennis Group) from Parque Nacional Natural Cueva de los Guacharos in Huila, and Ripipteryx gorgonaensis sp. n. (Crassicornis Group) from Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona in Cauca. Ripipteryx diegoi sp. n. is characterized by the antennae black with white spots on flagellomeres 3–7, male subgenital plate with median ridge forming a bilobed setose process, epiproct produced laterally near its base and phallic complex with virga thickened distally and not reaching beyond the membrane. Ripipteryx guacharoensis sp. n. is characterized by the antennae thick with white spots present dorsally on flagellomeres 1–4 and 8, epiproct narrow and triangular, uncus reduced and lacking a distal hook, phallic complex with a concave ventral plate and a dorsal elevation in the middle extended to the virga, and the virga itself with two small projections basally. Ripipteryx gorgonaensis sp. n. is characterized by the epiproct with a lateral notch, antennae with a white dorsal spot on flagellomere 1 and flagellomeres 4–7 entirely white. The antennal color pattern of Ripipteryx gorgonaensis sp. n. strongly resembles that of Ripipteryx atra but differs from the latter in the absence of any significant morphological modification of the flagellomeres.     

A new oribatid mite of the genus Rhynchoribates (Acari,Rhynchoribatidae) from equador

A new oribatid mite species, Rhynchoribates parafabulosus sp. n., is described from Ecuador. This species is similar to R. fabulosus Beck 1961 (from Peru) in the rostrum structure and the length of prodorsal and notogastral setae. However, it clearly differs from the above species by the absence of thorns on the leg femora, location of adanal lyrifissures, and the structure of notogastral setae.