A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Puccinia</Emphasis> (Pucciniales,Basidiomycota) and new records of rust fungi from Panama

A new species of Puccinia with diorchidioid teliospores is described from Urochloa decumbens (Poaceae) in Panama. It differs from the other known species of Puccinia with diorchidioid teliospores by uredinia with paraphyses and urediniospores with 3–4 scattered germ pores. Twenty-one known species of rust fungi are cited for Panama for the first time. Alveolaria cordiae is a poorly known species which is reported, described and illustrated in detail for the first time on Cordia spinescens in Panama.     

A new hyphomycete genus and species with pectinate conidia from a rainforest in Panama—a living fungal fossil?

A species of hyphomycetes, characterized by hyaline cells and asymmetric, pectinate (comblike) conidia, was collected on a dead fern rachis and on old conidiophores of the dematiaceous hyphomycete Dischloridium sp. in a rainforest in Western Panama. The structure of the conidia of the new species was previously known only for species of the fossil genus Ctenosporites. A new genus and species are proposed for the fungus from Panama.     

SOME LABOULBENIACEAE (ASCOMYCETES) ON INSECTS FROM INDIA AND INDONESIA

Batra, Suzanne W. T. (U. Kansas, Lawrence.) Some Laboulbeniaceac (Ascomycetes) on insects from India and Indonesia. Amer. Jour. Bot. 50 (10): 986–992. Illus. 1963.—Laboulbenia camponoti, L. olitskyi, L. styphlomeri and Stigmatomyces scatellae are described as new. Developmental stages of the monoecious species, L. camponoti, on ants are illustrated. It appears to be closely related to the dioecious species, L. formicarum. New host and locality records are given for L. vulgaris, L. flagellata and S. hylemyiae.     

Studies on Indian Laboulbeniales IV: Three species ofLaboulbenia

Three rare species ofLaboulbenia are described here from India. These areL. camponoti onCamponotus sp. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae),L. cristata onPaederus sp. (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) andL. idiostoma onAltica sp. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae).     

Cesariella, a new genus of Laboulbeniales

Cesariella graeca gen. sp. nov. is described to accommodate a new species of the Laboulbeniales (Fungi, Ascomycota) parasitic on the endogean ground beetles Reicheadella aetolica and R. bischoffi (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from Greece. Cesariella is distinguished from the allied genus Laboulbenia by the presence of two cells borne on the inner side of cell III, and by the presence of a conspicuous remnant of the spore apex protruding laterally near the base of the appendage.     

Three new species in the neotropical genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clidemia</Emphasis> (Melastomataceae: Miconieae)

We here propose and describe three new species of Clidemia: C. aguilarii from Costa Rica and Panama; C. aurantiaca from Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador; and C. subpeltata, a Costa Rican endemic. Phenological notes, distribution maps, line drawings, color images of the live plants in the wild, and discussions comparing the new species to their presumed closest relatives are provided.     

Pioneer forays for fungi in the Darién Province in Eastern Panama: quintuplicating the knowledge on fungi in this area by five days of fieldwork

For the Darién Province, an area larger than Jamaica in Eastern Panama, up to now only 19 species of fungi, mainly lichens and plant parasitic microfungi, have been known. Two general mycological forays including most major groups of fungi were carried out in this area for the first time. During 3 days mostly in secondary vegetation and 2 days in pristine forest, about 104 specimens of macro- and microfungi were collected, of which 85 were identified as 76 species of which all but one were new records for the Darién Province. As a result, knowledge on fungal taxa in that region has risen from 19 to 94, i.e. by a factor of five. Although common and easily-spotted species were preferred during collection, 16 (more than 20%) of the species identified were new for Panama, notably two species of Agaricales, Hygroaster nodulisporus and Leucopaxillus gracillimus, and four microfungi on plants, Cercosporella leucaenae, Coccomyces delta, Meliola bixae, and Stigmina anacardii. The records of the species are presented together with specimen data, references, and photos of selected species. As shown by this study, fungi in tropical Panama are highly diverse, mostly unknown, and further mycological field work is urgently needed because habitats are destroyed and fungi specific to them are lost forever.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lophodermium</Emphasis> on needles of conifers from Yunnan Province,China

Twelve Lophodermium species on needles of conifers are known in Yunnan, the eastern Himalayas in China. Recently, additional specimens were collected and identified. Two new species, Lophodermium dilutum on Pinus armandii and Lophodermium tsugae on Tsuga dumosa, were described and illustrated, and six species, L. autumnale, L. confluens, L. himalayense, L. kumaunicum, L. laricinum, and L. nitens, were recorded for the first time for Yunnan. A key to the Lophodermium species on needles of conifers for Yunnan is provided.     

Antlered richardiid flies: new species of Richardia (Tephritoidea: Richardiidae) with antler‐like genal processes

Within Richardiidae, Richardia infestans, from Colombia, is the only known species to have genal processes, which are structures formed by the extension of the cuticle on the lateral margin of the gena. In the present work, six new species, with different patterns of antler‐like genal processes, are described. An identification key and illustrations are provided. Richardia bella sp. nov. , R. modesta sp. nov. and R. vitta sp. nov. are recorded from Costa Rica; R. advena sp. nov. is recorded from Costa Rica and Panama; R. simplex sp. nov. is recorded from Panama; and R. ornatella sp. nov. is recorded from Ecuador.     

DNA barcoding of echinopluteus larvae uncovers cryptic diversity in neotropical echinoids

Surveys of larval diversity consistently increase biodiversity estimates when applied to poorly documented groups of marine invertebrates such as phoronids and hemichordates. However, it remains to be seen how helpful this approach is for detecting unsampled species in well‐studied groups. Echinoids represent a large, robust, well‐studied macrofauna, with low diversity and low incidence of cryptic species, making them an ideal test case for the efficacy of larval barcoding to discover diversity in such groups. We developed a reference dataset of DNA barcodes for the shallow‐water adult echinoids from both coasts of Panama and compared them to DNA sequences obtained from larvae collected primarily on the Caribbean coast of Panama. We sequenced mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) for 43 species of adult sea urchins to expand the number and coverage of sequences available in GenBank. Sequences were successfully obtained for COI and 16S ribosomal DNA from 272 larvae and assigned to 17 operational taxonomic units (OTUs): 4 from the Pacific coast of Panama, where larvae were not sampled as intensively, and 13 from the Caribbean coast. Of these 17 OTUs, 13 were identified from comparisons with our adult sequences and belonged to species well documented in these regions. Another larva was identified from comparisons with unpublished sequences in the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) as belonging to Pseudoboletia, a genus scarcely known in the Caribbean and previously unreported in Panama. Three OTUs remained unidentified. Based on larval morphology, at least two of these OTUs appeared to be spatangoids, which are difficult to collect and whose presence often goes undetected in standard surveys of benthic diversity. Despite its ability to capture unanticipated diversity, larval sampling failed to collect some species that are locally common along the Caribbean coast of Panama, such as Leodia sexiesperforata, Diadema antillarum, and Clypeaster rosaceus.     

A new <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laccaria</Emphasis> species from cloud forest of Fortuna,Panama

A new species of Agaricales, called Laccaria stellata, was collected in a premontane cloud forest in the Fortuna Forest Reserve, Panama, and it is described based on morphological and molecular characteristics. It differs morphologically from all known species of Laccaria by minute, pinkish-orange colored basidiomata, a very thin and translucent pileus, very distant lamellae, 4-spored basidia, and globose basidiospores covered by relatively large echinulae. Molecular rDNA sequence data confirm the separation of this new species from other Laccaria species for which rDNA sequence data are available.     

A new genus of Parmulariaceae from Panama

During a survey of plant-parasitic microfungi in Panama, a new species in a new genus of Parmulariaceae (Ascomycota), Antoniomyces loranthicola, was found on leaves of Gaiadendron punctatum (Loranthaceae). It is described and illustrated. The new species and the new genus differ morphologically from all other known species and genera known in Parmulariaceae by deep internal stroma and superficial radiating hyphae without appressoria.     

Documenting neotropical diversity of phoronids with DNA barcoding of planktonic larvae

Phoronid larvae, actinotrochs, are beautiful and complicated organisms which have attracted as much, if not more, attention than their adult forms. We collected actinotrochs from the waters of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Panama, and used DNA barcoding of mtCOI, as well as 16S and 18S sequences, to estimate the diversity of phoronids in the region. We discovered three operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the Bay of Panama on the Pacific coast and four OTUs in Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean coast. Not only did all OTUs differ from each other by >10% pairwise distance in COI, but they also differed from all phoronid sequences in GenBank, including the four species for which adults have been reported for the Pacific of Panama, Phoronopsis harmeri, Phoronis psammophila, Phoronis muelleri, and Phoronis hippocrepia. In each ocean region, one common OTU was more abundant and occurred more frequently than other OTUs in our samples. The other five OTUs were relatively rare, with only one to three individuals collected during the entire project. Species accumulation curves were relatively flat but suggest that at least one more species is likely to be present at each site. Actinotrochs from the seven sequenced OTUs had morphologies typical of species with non‐brooded planktotrophic development and, in some cases, may be distinguished by differences in pigmentation and the arrangement of blood masses. We found one larva with morphology typical of brooded planktotrophic larvae for which sequencing failed, bringing the total number of potential species detected to eight and representing >50% of the adult species currently recognized globally.     

A new species of anglerfish (Lophiidae: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lophiodes</Emphasis>) from the western Pacific

Lophiodes endoi sp. nov. is described from the western Pacific Ocean. Within the genus Lophiodes, the new species belongs in the L. mutilus group mainly defined by the absence of the fourth dorsal fin spine and differs from other species in the L. mutilus group in having a rounded esca with a paler tip, a third dorsal spine bearing a pair of black tendrils at two-thirds its length, 20–21 pectoral fin rays, a relatively short head, a relatively short illicium, a relatively short third dorsal spine, and a relatively long fifth dorsal spine, reaching the third soft dorsal fin ray when folded back. Comments on a similar species, L. bruchius, newly collected from the Kyushu–Palau Ridge, and notes on the distribution of congeneric species in the northwestern Pacific are provided.     

Two new hyphomycetes parasitic on leaves of Maianthemum species in Panama

Two species of dematiaceous hyphomycetes parasitic on leaves of Maianthemum gigas or M. paniculatum (Liliidae) in tropical mountain rainforests in Western Panama are described as new. One species is morphologically intermediate between Periconiella, Pseudocercosporidium, and Stenella. It is tentatively accommodated in Periconiella because of strongly branched conidiophores and verruculose external hyphae. It differs from other Periconiella species by stromata embedded in the substomatal chamber of the leaves. The other species belongs to Pseudocercospora and is described as new since no similar species of Pseudocercospora is known on species of Maianthemum or related genera. Both species are illustrated in detail with drawings based on light microscopy and images based on scanning electron microscopy. Taxonomic novelties: Periconiella maianthemi R. Kirschner, Pseudocercospora maianthemi R. Kirschner     

New species and records of cercosporoid hyphomycetes from Panama

Cercosporoid hyphomycetes on living leaves of plants were collected in Panama, identified, described, and illustrated. Newly described species are Passalora guraniae from Gurania sp. (Cucurbitaceae), Pseudocercospora arrabidaeae from Arrabidaea cf. candicans (Bignoniaceae), Pseudocercospora hymenaeae from Hymenaea courbaril (Caesalpinioideae/Fabaceae), Pseudocercospora solandrae from Solandra sp. (Solanaceae), and Verrucisporota struthanthicola from Struthanthus sp. (Loranthaceae). New reports for Panama are Cercospora glauciana from a new host plant genus (Rhynchospora, Cyperaceae), Pseudocercospora acalyphicola from a new host plant species (Acalypha macrostachya, Euphorbiaceae), Pseudocercospora cecropiae, Pseudocercospora cecropiicola, Pseudocercospora cecropiigena, Pseudocercospora mirandensis, and Ramularia rubella.     

Phenotypic variability in the Caribbean Orange Icing sponge Mycale laevis (Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida)

Sponge species may present several morphotypes, but sponges that are morphologically similar can be separate species. We investigated morphological variation in Mycale laevis, a common Caribbean reef sponge. Four morphotypes of M. laevis have been observed (1) orange, semi-cryptic, (2) orange, massive, (3) white, semi-cryptic, and (4) white, massive. Samples of M. laevis were collected from Key Largo, Florida, the Bahamas Islands, and Bocas del Toro, Panama. Fragments of the 18S and 28S rRNA ribosomal genes were sequenced and subjected to phylogentic analyses together with sequences obtained for 11 other Mycale species and additional sequences retrieved from GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the genus Mycale is monophyletic within the Order Poecilosclerida, although the subgenus Aegogropila is polyphyletic and the subgenus Mycale is paraphyletic. All 4 morphotypes formed a monophyletic group within Mycale, and no genetic differences were observed among them. Spicule lengths did not differ among the 4 morphotypes, but the dominant megasclere in samples collected from Florida and the Bahamas was the strongyle, while those from Panama had subtylostyles. Our data suggest that the 4 morphotypes constitute a single species, but further studies would be necessary to determine whether skeletal variability is due to phentotypic or genotypic plasticity.     

Quararibea (Bombacaceae): Five new species from moist and wet forests of Costa Rica and Panama

Five new species ofQuararibea from costa Rica and Panama are described and illustrated, with notes on their ecology and relationships.Quararibea gomeziana, Q. pendula, andQ. santaritensis are from the Caribbean lowlands of the Provinces of Limón, Costa Rica, and of Bocas del Toro and Colón, Panama.Quararibea aurantiocalyx andQ. costaricensis are from montane habitats of Panama and Costa Rica. The exceptionally long pedicels ofQ. pendula far exceed those of other known members ofQuararibea and may prove to be the most striking example of adaptation to bat pollination and fruit dispersal in the genus.Quararibea costaricensis, a relatively common species, has long been erroneously identified asQ. platyphylla, a much rarer inhabitant of the same region.