Diversity and Antimicrobial Activity of Culturable Endophytic Fungi Isolated from Moso Bamboo Seeds

Bamboos, regarded as therapeutic agents in ethnomedicine, have been used to inhibit inflammation and enhance natural immunity for a long time in Asia, and there are many bamboo associated fungi with medical and edible value. In the present study, a total of 350 fungal strains were isolated from the uncommon moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) seeds for the first time. The molecular diversity of these endophytic fungi was investigated and bioactive compound producers were screened for the first time. All the fungal endophytes were categorized into 69 morphotypes according to culturable characteristics and their internal transcriber spacer (ITS) regions were analyzed by BLAST search with the NCBI database. The fungal isolates showed high diversity and were divided in Ascomycota (98.0%) and Basidiomycota (2.0%), including at least 19 genera in nine orders. Four particular genera were considered to be newly recorded bambusicolous fungi, including Leptosphaerulina, Simplicillium, Sebacina and an unknown genus in Basidiomycetes. Furthermore, inhibitory effects against clinical pathogens and phytopathogens were screened preliminarily and strains B09 (Cladosporium sp.), B34 (Curvularia sp.), B35 (undefined genus 1), B38 (Penicillium sp.) and zzz816 (Shiraia sp.) displayed broad-spectrum activity against clinical bacteria and yeasts by the agar diffusion method. The crude extracts of isolates B09, B34, B35, B38 and zzz816 under submerged fermentation, also demonstrated various levels of bioactivities against bambusicolous pathogenic fungi. This study is the first report on the antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi associated with moso bamboo seeds, and the results show that they could be exploited as a potential source of bioactive compounds and plant defense activators. In addition, it is the first time that strains of Shiraia sp. have been isolated and cultured from moso bamboo seeds, and one of them (zzz816) could produce hypocrellin A at high yield, which is significantly different from the other strains published.     

Trilobite faunal successions across the base of the Furongian Series in the Taebaek Group, Taebaeksan Basin, Korea

The base of the Furongian Series in the Sino-Korean Block has not been clearly defined due to the lack of the index taxon, Glyptagnostus reticulatus. The Sesong Formation of the Taebaek Group, Taebaeksan Basin, Korea, has been known to range from the Guzhangian Stage of the Cambrian Series 3 to the middle Furongian Series, hence embracing the base of the Furongian Series. Silicified polymerid trilobites were recovered from the middle part of the Sesong Formation. Described are a total of 18 polymerid species of 13 genera: Neodrepanura sp. 1, Teinistion sp. 1, Huzhuia sp. 1, Huzhuia sp. 2, Liostracina simesi, Liostracina sp. 1, Parachangshania monkei, Parachangshania rectangularis nov. sp., Placosema bigranulosum, Fenghuangella laevis nov. sp., Baikadamaspis jikdongensis nov. sp., Baikadamaspis sp. 1, Prochuangia mansuyi, Maladioides coreanicus, Alataspis sesongensis nov. gen., nov. sp., Chuangia sp. 1, and ceratopygids genus and species indeterminate 1 and 2. The stratigraphic occurrence of these trilobites provides a basis for recognition of five zones across the base of the Furongian Series (in ascending order): the Neodrepanura, Liostracina simesi, Fenghuangella laevis, Prochuangia mansuyi, and Chuangia zones. The Neodrepanura and Chuangia zones are provisionally adopted from the previous biostratigraphic scheme, while the three other ones are newly proposed. The recommended base of the Furongian Series in the Taebaek Group of Korea coincides with the base of the Fenghuangella laevis Zone, which appears to represent an episode of profound trilobite faunal turnover.     

Fungi on grasses: new species of Ascotaiwania,Diaporthe and Oxydothis (Ascomycetes)

Four new species of ascomycetes, Ascotaiwania pennisetarum sp. nov., Diaporthe appendiculata sp. now., Diaporthe minutis sp. nov., and Oxydothis miscanthiecola sp. nov., are described from senescent culms of grasses in Hong Kong. Ascotaiwania pennisetarum is distinctive from other species in the genus as ascospores are narrower. Diaporthe minutis differs from the most similar Diaporthe species in having ascospores with bipolar mucilaginous pads, while Diaporthe appendiculata differs from other species in having ascospores with both a mucilaginous pad and appendages at both ends. Oxydothis miscanthicola differs from other species in the genus in having long fusiform ascospores, which taper to rounded apices or otherwise differ in shape and size. These new species are compared with existing species and illustrated with interference light micrographs. The Diaporthe species known to posses mucilaginous ascospore appendages are listed.     

The genus Uroleucon (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the Korean Peninsula,with descriptions of two new species

The aphid genus Uroleucon Mordvilko (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is recognized from the Korean Peninsula. A total of twenty species of Korean Uroleucon are confirmed including two new species: U. (Uromelan) chrysanthemicola sp. nov., on Chrysanthemum sp. (Asteraceae) from Mt. Oseo, Korea and U. (Uroleucon) jejuni sp. nov., on Echinops setifer Iljin (Asteraceae) from Jeju Island, Korea. Two new species are described with biometric measurements, illustrations, and identification keys to species on host plants.LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:ADBBDD99-6A12-4854-B559-64D5EF1B9CB0.     

Miocene ostracods from the Tremiti Islands and Hyblean Plateau: biostratigraphy and description of new and poorly known species

The main taxonomic and stratigraphical results of a study of ostracods from the middle-late Miocene of the Tremiti Islands and the Hyblean Plateau are presented. The faunas are mostly typical of deep thermospheric or psychrospheric bathyal environments. Excluding a few, mostly juvenile shallow water contaminants, a total of 127 species were recorded. Twenty-four taxa are discussed herein; of these, 13 species (Cytherella dissimilis nov. sp., Cytherella parvula nov. sp., Cytherella subtilis nov. sp., Argilloecia triangularis nov. sp., Retibythere (Retibythere)? claudii nov. sp., Retibythere (Retibythere)? gibba nov. sp., Cytheropteron (Cytheropteron) joachinoi nov. sp., Cytheropteron (Aversovalva) consuetum nov. sp., Cytheropteron (Aversovalva) trimerumense nov. sp., Cytheropteron (Aversovalva) turgidum nov. sp., Loxoconcha julianii nov. sp., Buntonia whatleyi nov. sp., Pterygocythere nuda nov. sp.) and a subspecies (Costa tricostata dorsoarcuata nov. subsp.) are described as new, while six are left in open nomenclature. The stratigraphical distribution of ostracods is expressed in terms of planktonic foraminiferal zones. Information obtained from this study enriches biostratigraphical data on Mediterranean Miocene deep-sea ostracods, especially with respect to the Langhian.     

Loricate choanoflagellates (Acanthoecida) from warm water seas. IX. Coronoeca gen. nov., Polyfibula Manton and spiny forms of Parvicorbicula Deflandre

The ambition to generate an overview of warm water loricate choanoflagellate biodiversity, based on a classic morphometric approach, is here completed by analyses of a range of tiny forms with anterior spines or projections and in most cases also a posterior pedicel. The warm water study complements previously obtained results from the more extensively studied temperate and polar regions of the world’s oceans. It thus contributes to a significantly more balanced approach to global diversity patterns for these organisms. The current survey includes taxa such as Polyfibula elatensis, Parvicorbicula pedicellata, as well as a range of primarily undescribed and taxonomically challenging species, that are in an interim approach allocated to Coronoeca gen. nov. (C. kosmaniae sp. nov., C. conicella sp. nov., C. superpositus (Booth) comb. nov., C. marchantii sp. nov., C. tongiae sp. nov., and C. patongiensis sp. nov.). The analysis of warm water acanthoecid biodiversity has revealed in total 80 species from the six geographic regions sampled, corresponding to approximately 50% of all loricate species described. Nineteen species are previously undescribed forms. The Andaman Sea, Thailand, and West Australia are in a global context the most species-rich regions with 62 and 64 species respectively.     

New sharks of the genus Abdounia (Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae) from the Upper Eocene of the Trans-Ural Region

Two new species of carcharhinid sharks from the Late Eocene deposits (Tavda Formation) of the southern Trans-Urals, Abdounia vassilyevae sp. nov., previously determined as A. aff. beaugei, and A. lata sp. nov., are described. To date, up to five Priabonian species of Abdounia have been recorded. New finds supplement the data on diversity, evolution, and paleobiogeography of Abdounia.     

Quick guide to secondary metabolites from Apiospora and Arthrinium

Apiospora and Arthrinium have undergone a period of upheaval with disparate phylogenic affiliation during the past ten years. Recently, they were divided into two separate clades with the majority being Apiospora and several species changing genus from Arthrinum to Apiospora. The first genome annotation became available in 2020, and the potential for novel secondary metabolite production appears very high in these yet unexplored genera compared to other more famous filamentous fungi. In this review, we present the current state of knowledge of 269 secondary metabolites isolated from the two fungal genera combined and highlight some of the compounds with known biological or toxic effects.     

New ancyloceratidae (Ammonoidea) from the Aptian of the Ulyanovsk region,Middle Volga

A new genus Pseudoancyloceras gen. nov. with the type species P. calinovense sp. nov. and five new species of Ancyloceratidae (Australiceras (Proaustraliceras) elegans sp. nov., Audouliceras vyrystaykense sp. nov., A. brusyankense sp. nov., A. mordovense sp. nov., Tropaeum (Tropaeum) elaurkense sp. nov.) are described from the Aptian of the Ulyanovsk region, Middle Volga.     

New species of syringoporids from Eifelian deposits of the Subpolar Ural Mountains

A high diversity of tabulate corals in Eifelian deposits of the Syv“yu River basin (Subpolar Urals) is reported for the first time. Most of the corals are represented by colonies of syringoporids. Five new species Syringopora parva sp. nov., S. insueta sp. nov., S. indecora sp. nov., Tetraporinus syvjuensis sp. nov., and Armalites serotinus sp. nov. are described.     

Phenolics from the culms of five bamboo species in the Tangjiahe and Wolong Giant Panda Reserves,Sichuan, China

Phenolic compounds were studied in the culms of five bamboo species collected in China: Yushania chungii, Fargesia robusta, Fargesia denudata, Fargesia rufa and Fargesia scabrida. All the species are eaten by giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). The culms contained phenolic acids and flavonoids in small concentrations, except for F. robusta, which did not contain flavonoids in detectable amounts. The species differed from each other in their phenolic composition. For example, F. rufa with the highest number of compounds clearly differed from other species. There were also differences among sampling sites, which reflect the differences among genotypes. Furthermore, there were clear ontogenetic differences in the culms: some compounds were present in mature culms but not in young (1–2 year old) culms, while the concentrations of other compounds decreased with increasing age. Over all, the composition and concentrations of soluble phenolic compounds in the bamboo culms were affected by species, age and site.     

Unravelling the Biodiversity and Molecular Phylogeny of Needle Nematodes of the Genus Longidorus (Nematoda: Longidoridae) in Olive and a Description of Six New Species

The genus Longidorus includes a remarkable group of invertebrate animals of the phylum Nematoda comprising polyphagous root-ectoparasites of numerous plants including several agricultural crops and trees. Damage is caused by direct feeding on root cells as well as by transmitting nepoviruses that cause disease on those crops. Thus, correct identification of Longidorus species is essential to establish appropriate control measures. We provide the first detailed information on the diversity and distribution of Longidorus species infesting wild and cultivated olive soils in a wide-region in southern Spain that included 159 locations from which 449 sampling sites were analyzed. The present study doubles the known biodiversity of Longidorus species identified in olives by including six new species (Longidorus indalus sp. nov., Longidorus macrodorus sp. nov., Longidorus onubensis sp. nov., Longidorus silvestris sp. nov., Longidorus vallensis sp. nov., and Longidorus wicuolea sp. nov.), two new records for wild and cultivate olives (L. alvegus and L. vineacola), and two additional new records for wild olive (L. intermedius and L. lusitanicus). We also found evidence of some geographic species associations to western (viz. L. alvegus, L. intermedius, L. lusitanicus, L. onubensis sp. nov., L. vineacola, L. vinearum, L. wicuolea sp. nov.) and eastern distributions (viz. L. indalus sp. nov.), while only L. magnus was detected in both areas. We developed a comparative study by considering morphological and morphometrical features together with molecular data from nuclear ribosomal RNA genes (D2–D3 expansion segments of 28S, ITS1, and partial 18S). Results of molecular and phylogenetic analyses confirmed the morphological hypotheses and allowed the delimitation and discrimination of six new species of the genus described herein and four known species. Phylogenetic analyses of Longidorus spp. based on three molecular markers resulted in a general consensus of these species groups, since lineages were maintained for the majority of species. This study represents the most complete phylogenetic analysis for Longidorus species to date.     

Environmental Factors Associated with the Eukaryotic Microbial Community and Microalgal Groups in the Mountain Marshes of South Korea

The diversity indices of eukaryotic microalgal groups in the Jeonglyeongchi, Waegok, and Wangdeungjae marshes of Mount Jiri, Korea, were measured using Illumina MiSeq and culture-based analyses. Waegok marsh had the highest species richness, with a Chao1 value of 828.00, and the highest levels of species diversity, with Shannon and Simpson index values of 6.36 and 0.94, respectively, while Wangdeungjae marsh had the lowest values at 2.97 and 0.75, respectively. The predominant species in all communities were Phagocata sibirica (Jeonglyeongchi, 68.64%), Aedes albopictus (Waegok, 34.77%), Chaetonotus cf. (Waegok, 24.43%), Eimeria sp. (Wangdeungjae, 26.17%), and Eumonhystera cf. (Wangdeungjae, 22.27%). Relative abundances of the microalgal groups Bacillariophyta (diatoms) and Chlorophyta (green algae) in each marsh were respectively: Jeonglyeongchi 1.38% and 0.49%, Waegok 7.0% and 0.3%, and Wangdeungjae 10.41% and 4.72%. Illumina MiSeq analyses revealed 34 types of diatoms and 13 types of green algae. Only one diatom (Nitzschia dissipata) and five green algae (Neochloris sp., Chlamydomonas sp., Chlorococcum sp., Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp.) were identified by a culture-based analysis. Thus, Illumina MiSeq analysis can be considered an efficient tool for analyzing microbial communities. Overall, our results described the environmental factors associated with geographically isolated mountain marshes and their respective microbial and microalgal communities.     

Arecophila bambusae sp. nov. andA. coronata comb. nov., from dead culms of bamboo

A new species ofArecophila and a species previously known asAmphisphaeria coronata are described and illustrated from dead culms of bamboo.Arecophila bambusae sp. nov. is distinct in the genus in having ellipsoidal ascospores with slightly round ends, and asci with a narrow subapical ring.Arecophila coronata comb. nov. has asci with a wedgeshaped apical ring and weakly striated ascospores enclosed in wide mucilaginous sheath.     

A new species of the genus Probles Förster (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Tersilochinae) from South Korea

The new species Probles (Euporizon) leei Khalaim, Balueva & Kim sp. nov., is described from South Korea. The new species is characterized by a reduction of the groove between glymma and the ventral part of postpetiole, whereas other species of Probles typically have a well-developed groove. This is the most abundant species of Probles in South Korea, where it accounts for over half of all collected specimens of the genus.     

Taxonomic review of the genus Eupoecilia Stephens (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Tortricinae) in Korea with descriptions of two new species

Eupoecilia Stephens (Lepidoptera: Tortricoidea: Tortricidae) comprises 39 described species worldwide. Eight species of the genus are recognized from Korea, two of which, Eupoecilia curvifasciata sp. nov. and E. koreana sp. nov., are described as new. Also, Eupoecilia sanguisorbana (Herrich-Schäffer, 1856) is reported for the first time from Korea. All the known species are described or redescribed, and the adults and genitalic structures are illustrated. In addition, a key to the Korean species is also provided.     

First record of the subgenus Tipula (Ramatipula) (Diptera,Tipulidae) from China,with description of two new species

The subgenus Ramatipula Alexander, 1971 of the genus Tipula is recorded for the first time in China. Two new species, Tipula (Ramatipula) dolabcorolla, sp. nov., and Tipula (Ramatipula) spathulata, sp. nov. are described and illustrated. A key to the species of Tipula (Ramatipula) from the world is presented.urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:405A10AD-9C5E-4D81-A04B-403D96A286EC.     

Contributions to the study of fossil snipe flies (Diptera: Rhagionidae): The genus Protorhagio

Three new species of the snipe fly genus Protorhagio, viz. P. karataviensis sp. nov., P. ponomarenkoi sp. nov., and P. ruptus sp. nov., are described from the Middle-Upper Jurassic Karabastau Formation in Kazakhstan. The type species of the genus, P. capitatus, is redescribed. A key is provided to all known species of Protorhagio.