The diversity of rhizobia nodulating the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Medicago</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melilotus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trigonella</Emphasis> inoculation group in Egypt is marked by the dominance of two genetic types

Twenty four rhizobial strains were isolated from root nodules of Melilotus, Medicago and Trigonella plants growing wild in soils throughout Egypt. The nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequence from each strain showed that 12 strains (50 %) were closely related to the Ensifer meliloti LMG6133^T type strain with identity values higher than 99.0 %, that 9 (37.5 %) strains were more than 99 % identical to the E. medicae WSM419^T type strain, and that 3 (12.5 %) strains showed 100 % identity with the type strain of N. huautlense S02^T. Accordingly, the diversity of rhizobial strains nodulating wild Melilotus, Medicago and Trigonella species in Egypt is marked by predominance of two genetic types, E. meliloti and E. medicae, although the frequency of isolation was slightly higher in E. meliloti. Sequencing of the symbiotic nodC gene from selected Medicago and Melilotus strains revealed that they were all similar to those of the E. meliloti LMG6133^T and E. medicae WSM419^T type strains, respectively. Similarly, nodC sequences of strains identified as members of the genus Neorhizobium were more than 99 % identical to that of N. galegae symbiovar officinalis HAMBI 114.     

Epaphroditidae <Emphasis Type="Italic">sensu novo</Emphasis>, an Endemic Caribbean Family of Morphologically Divergent Praying Mantises (Insecta,Mantodea)

Three endemic Caribbean praying mantis genera with a complex taxonomic history were recently discovered to be part of a lineage that colonized the Caribbean region during the Cretaceous period (Svenson & Rodrigues, Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 284, 2017). In all classification systems proposed up to now, the three genera, Callimantis, Epaphrodita, and Gonatista, were never considered as close relatives, a reflection of their divergent morphology. More recently, the genus Brancsikia was placed with Epaphrodita in a family based on the similarity of camouflage-related morphology. To address recent phylogenetic results that do not track current classification, we compared the morphology of the three Caribbean genera with each other and representative members of traditional or current family groups. Our morphological analysis of external and male genital characters provides strong support for the Caribbean lineage despite the divergent morphological evolution present in the three genera. We raise this Caribbean lineage to family status by employing a precedent family-group name, Epaphroditidae Brunner de Wattenwyl, 1893 sensu novo. We remove Brancsikia from our new concept of Epaphroditidae, rendering the genus incertae sedis.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Subsessila turbinata</Emphasis> gen. et. sp. nov. (Beltraniaceae), a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Beltrania</Emphasis>-like fungus from Thailand

A new monotypic Beltrania-like genus, Subsessila, with its type species S. turbinata, is described, illustrated and compared with similar genera. The new genus is introduced in the family Beltraniaceae based on phylogenetic analysis and morphological characters. Subsessila can be easily distinguished from other Beltrania-like genera by dark setae arising from radially lobed basal cells, mostly lacking macronematous conidiophores. Conidiogenous cells are ampulliform or doliiform and produce turbinate to clavate conidia with rostrate proximal end and rounded distal end. Evidence for establishment of the new genus is provided based on morphological comparison and DNA sequence data analyses.     

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.     

Neogene phasianids (Aves: Phasianidae) of Central Asia: 1. Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tologuica</Emphasis> gen. nov.

A new genus, Tologuica, with two species (T. aurorae sp. nov. and T. karhui sp. nov.), from the Middle Miocene of the Sharga locality (western Mongolia) is described. The new genus shares some characters with the extinct genera Palaeocryptonyx, Palaeortyx, and Plioperdix and with extant Coturnix. The foot structure suggests that Tologuica resembled in ecology the European genus Palaeortyx and was probably adapted to an arboreal mode of life, in contrast to the terrestrial Coturnix and Plioperdix.     

Taxonomic revisions in the Microstromatales: two new yeast species,two new genera,and validation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jaminaea</Emphasis> and two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sympodiomycopsis</Emphasis> species

Environmental sampling yielded two yeast species belonging to Microstromatales (Exobasidiomycetes, Ustilaginomycotina). The first species was collected from a leaf phylloplane infected by the rust fungus Coleosporium plumeriae, and represents a new species in the genus Jaminaea, for which the name Jaminaea rosea sp. nov. is proposed. The second species was isolated from air on 50% glucose media and is most similar to Microstroma phylloplanum. However, our phylogenetic analyses reveal that species currently placed in Microstroma are not monophyletic, and M. phylloplanum, M. juglandis and M. albiziae are not related to the type species of this genus, M. album. Thus, Pseudomicrostroma gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate the following species: P. glucosiphilum sp. nov., P. phylloplanum comb. nov. and P. juglandis comb. nov. We also propose Parajaminaea gen. nov. to accommodate P. albizii comb. nov. and P. phylloscopi sp. nov. based on phylogenetic analyses that show these are not congeneric with Jaminaea or Microstroma. In addition, we validate the genus Jaminaea, its respective species and two species of Sympodiomycopsis and provide a new combination, Microstroma bacarum comb. nov., for the anamorphic yeast Rhodotorula bacarum. Our results illustrate non-monophyly of Quambalariaceae and Microstromataceae as currently circumscribed. Taxonomy of Microstroma and the Microstromataceae is reviewed and discussed. Finally, analyses of all available small subunit rDNA sequences for Jaminaea species show that J. angkorensis is the only known species that possess a group I intron in this locus, once considered a potential feature indicating the basal placement of this genus in Microstromatales.     

Gall midges of the supertribe stomatosematidi (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) in the Palaearctic region,with descriptions of new taxa from the late Eocene Rovno Amber. 2. The genera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Didactylomyia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rovnodidactylomyia</Emphasis> gen. n.

One new genus (Rovnodidactylomyia Fedotova et Perkovsky, gen. n.) and four new species (Didactylomyia dlusskyi sp. n., Rovnodidactylomyia zosimovichi gen. n. et sp. n., R. sidorenkoi sp. n., and R. iconica sp. n.) are described from an amber sample of the late Eocene Period (Rovno District, Ukraine). Two species from a Baltic amber sample of the late Eocene Period, described earlier in the genus Bryocrypta, are attributed to the genus Rovnodidactylomyia (R. girafa (Meunier, 1904) comb. n. and R. capitosa (Meunier, 1904)). The first fossil species of the genus Didactylomyia is described for the first time; two contemporary Palaearctic species are recorded. Keys to the species of the genus Didactylomyia are given.     

Assessing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Azorella</Emphasis> (Apiaceae) and its allies: Phylogenetics and a new classification

Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear rDNA spacers (ITS and ETS) from Azorella and five closely related genera confirm earlier plastid results indicating that Azorella, Huanaca, Mulinum, and Schizeilema are all polyphyletic, and that the monotypic genus Laretia is nested within one of the six subclades of Azorella. Only Stilbocarpa is monophyletic, but that genus is embedded within a larger clade that includes representatives of three other genera (Azorella, Huanaca, and Schizeilema). Both nuclear and plastid datasets identify the same 10 clades, but the placement of these clades remains unstable. A new classification is presented in which these six genera are reduced to a single genus (Azorella) comprising 58 species arranged in 10 sections, one of which is newly described here (Azorella sect. Ranunculus), and one lectotypified (Azorella sect. Glabratae). A total of 13 new combinations are made (A. albovaginata, A. allanii, A. boelckei, A. burkartii, A. colensoi, A. echegarayi, A. echinus, A. hallei, A. lyallii, A. polaris, A. prolifera, A. robusta, A. ulicina), along with three replacement names (A. atacamensis, A. ruizii, A. schizeilema). For each of the 58 accepted species, a full synonymy is provided along with geographic ranges (and nomenclatural notes, where useful).     

Cork-warts on leaves of Lauraceae: confirming a suspicion

Some studies have reported the presence of leaf cork-warts in several families of plants; however, in Lauraceae, these structures have not been confirmed. Therefore, based on studies of leaf anatomy, we have herein documented the presence of leaf cork-warts in Mezilaurus species of Lauraceae. To accomplish this, we investigated fifteen species from all six genera of the Mezilaurus group, including Anaueria, Chlorocardium, Clinostemon, Mezilaurus, Sextonia, and Williamodendron. Analyses of leaf anatomy were performed through optical and scanning electron microscopy. Our results revealed cork-warts in six species of the genus Mezilaurus: M. crassiramea, M. navalium, M. revolutifolia, M. subcordata, M. synandra, and M. vanderwerffii. In the investigated species M. crassiramea and M. navalium, cork-warts originated from the stomatal complex, from epidermal cells covering oil cells located in mesophyll, and from epidermal cells around trichomes. Therefore, cork-warts could be considered an additional taxonomic character to delimit Mezilaurus species.     

Revision of the carabid genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Meroctenus</Emphasis> Gemminger et Harold,with a new status of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xenodochus</Emphasis> Andrewes (Coleoptera,Carabidae: Harpalini)

Originally described as a monotypical genus with unclear taxonomic position from Sudan, Meroctenus Gemminger et Harold, 1868 is treated as a polytypical genus of the Selenophori genus group with two subgenera: Meroctenus s. str. and Xenodochus Andrewes, 1941, stat. n. (the latter was previously considered a distinct genus). Within Meroctenus, two species are recognized: M. (Meroctenus) crenulatus Chaudoir, 1843 (type species) and M. (M.) mediocris (Andrewes, 1936), comb, n., transferred to Meroctenus s. str. from Xenodochus. A new subspecies M. (M.) crenulatus orientalis subsp. n. is described from Pakistan. Diagnoses of the genus Meroctenus in new interpretation as well as of its two subgenera are discussed, and a taxonomic review of the subgenus Meroctenus s. str. with a key to the species and subspecies is provided. The following synonymy is proposed: Meroctenus Gemminger et Harold, 1868 = Paregaploa Müller, 1947, syn. n.; Meroctenus crenulatus (Chaudoir, 1843) = Egaploa (Paregaploa) conviva Müller, 1947, syn. n. Lectotypes are designated for Ctenomerus crenulatus Chaudoir, 1843 and Xenodus mediocris Andrewes, 1936.     

Phylogeny of anaerobic fungi (phylum <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neocallimastigomycota</Emphasis>), with contributions from yak in China

The phylum Neocallimastigomycota contains eight genera (about 20 species) of strictly anaerobic fungi. The evolutionary relationships of these genera are uncertain due to insufficient sequence data to infer their phylogenies. Based on morphology and molecular phylogeny, thirteen isolates obtained from yak faeces and rumen digesta in China were assigned to Neocallimastix frontalis (nine isolates), Orpinomyces joyonii (two isolates) and Caecomyces sp. (two isolates), respectively. The phylogenetic relationships of the eight genera were evaluated using complete ITS and partial LSU sequences, compared to the ITS1 region which has been widely used in this phylum in the past. Five monophyletic lineages corresponding to six of the eight genera were statistically supported. Isolates of Caecomyces and Cyllamyces were present in a single lineage and could not be separated properly. Members of Neocallimastigomycota with uniflagellate zoospores represented by Piromyces were polyphyletic. The Piromyces-like genus Oontomyces was consistently closely related to the traditional Anaeromyces, and separated the latter genus into two clades. The phylogenetic position of the Piromyces-like genus Buwchfawromyces remained unresolved. Orpinomyces and Neocallimastix, sharing polyflagellate zoospores, were supported as sister genera in the LSU phylogeny. Apparently ITS, specifically ITS1 alone, is not a good marker to resolve the generic affinities of the studied fungi. The LSU sequences are easier to align and appear to work well to resolve generic relationships. This study provides a comparative phylogenetic revision of Neocallimastigomycota isolates known from culture and sequence data.     

Comparative analysis of complete chloroplast genome sequences of two subtropical trees, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phoebe sheareri</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phoebe omeiensis</Emphasis> (Lauraceae)

Phoebe is an economically important genus from the family Lauraceae. It is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia, but systematics of the genus is unclear, and currently there is no species-level phylogeny. Here, we determined the complete chloroplast genome sequences of two species with long-range PCR and next genome sequencing technologies, and identified mutation sites and highly variable regions. These highly variable sites were used to reconstruct the phylogeny. The plastomes of Phoebe sheareri and P. omeiensis were 152, 876, and 152, 855 bp, respectively. Comparative genomic analysis indicated that there are 222 mutation sites including 146 substitutions, 73 indels, and 3 microinversions in both plastomes. Fifty-six single-nucleotide changes were identified in gene-coding regions, and 45 microsatellite sites were found for use in species identification. Fourteen divergence hotspots of 38 variable regions were located. Phylogeny was reconstructed using a Bayesian and maximum likelihood approach for 12 Phoebe species and other five related Lauraceae based on 15 of the highly variable regions including accD-psaI, atpB-rbcL, ndhC-trnV, ndhF-rpl32, petA-psbJ, psaA, psbA-trnH, rbcL, rps8-rpl14, rps16-trnQ, rpl32-trnL, trnC-petN, trnL-trnF, trnS-trnG, and ycf1 indicated that variability in the chloroplast regions proposed as variable is enough to detect divergence events among 12 taxa of Phoebe, and that maybe also useful to help to elucidate further relationships among other taxa of the genus.     

<Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Barrmaelia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Entosordaria</Emphasis> in Barrmaeliaceae (fam. nov., Xylariales) and critical notes on <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Anthostomella</Emphasis>-like genera based on multigene phylogenies

Phylogenetic analyses of a combined DNA data matrix containing ITS, LSU, rpb2 and tub2 sequences of representative Xylariales revealed that the genus Barrmaelia is a well-defined monophylum, as based on four of its described species (B. macrospora, B. moravica, B. oxyacanthae, B. rhamnicola) and the new species B. rappazii. The generic type of Entosordaria, E. perfidiosa, is revealed as the closest relative of Barrmaelia, being phylogenetically distant from the generic type of Clypeosphaeria, C. mamillana, which belongs to Xylariaceae sensu stricto. Entosordaria and Barrmaelia are highly supported and form a distinct lineage, which is recognised as the new family Barrmaeliaceae. The new species E. quercina is described. Barrmaelia macrospora, B. moravica and B. rhamnicola are epitypified and E. perfidiosa is lecto- and epitypified. Published sequences of Anthostomella and several Anthostomella-like species from the genera Alloanthostomella, Anthostomelloides, Neoanthostomella, Pseudoanthostomella and Pyriformiascoma are evaluated, demonstrating the necessity of critical inspection of published sequence data before inclusion in phylogenies. Verified isolates of several species from these genera should be re-sequenced to affirm their phylogenetic affinities. In addition, the generic type of Anthostomella should be sequenced before additional generic re-arrangements are proposed.