Invertebrate RNA virus diversity from a taxonomic point of view

Phoebis Hübner (1819) is a genus of the Neotropical subfamily Coliadinae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). The highest diversity is found in the Greater Antilles islands in the Caribbean region. Although from the taxonomic point of view, Phoebis seems to be a stable genus, there is no phylogenetic hypothesis corroborating the monophyly of the genus. In this study, we used both morphological characters and a genetic dataset consisting of one mitochondrial (COI) and three nuclear markers (RpS5, MDH, Wingless). The matrix was concatenated and analysed with parsimony under implied weights (IW). Also, the concatenated data set was analysed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference evolutionary methods, and ancestral states reconstruction with characters traditionally used for classification of Phoebis was carried out. The same topology was recovered by Parsimony, ML and BI analysis, and suggest that Phoebis is not a monophyletic genus, with Aphrissa and Rhabdodryas nested within it. Our findings allow us to consider the genera Rhabdodryas syn.rev. and Aphrissa syn.rev. to be synonyms of Phoebis. These results have implications for the systematics of Phoebis and the genera that should be accepted in Coliadinae.

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Marine RNA Virus Quasispecies Are Distributed throughout the Oceans

mSphere ◽

10.1128/mspheredirect.00157-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Marli Vlok ◽

Andrew S. Lang ◽

Curtis A. Suttle

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Rna Viruses ◽

Rna Virus ◽

Purifying Selection ◽

Amino Acid Sequences ◽

Metagenomic Data ◽

Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽

Data Set ◽

Virus Diversity ◽

Virus Genomes

ABSTRACTRNA viruses, particularly genetically diverse members of thePicornavirales, are widespread and abundant in the ocean. Gene surveys suggest that there are spatial and temporal patterns in the composition of RNA virus assemblages, but data on their diversity and genetic variability in different oceanographic settings are limited. Here, we show that specific RNA virus genomes have widespread geographic distributions and that the dominant genotypes are under purifying selection. Genomes from three previously unknown picorna-like viruses (BC-1, -2, and -3) assembled from a coastal site in British Columbia, Canada, as well as marine RNA viruses JP-A, JP-B, andHeterosigma akashiwoRNA virus exhibited different biogeographical patterns. Thus, biotic factors such as host specificity and viral life cycle, and not just abiotic processes such as dispersal, affect marine RNA virus distribution. Sequence differences relative to reference genomes imply that virus quasispecies are under purifying selection, with synonymous single-nucleotide variations dominating in genomes from geographically distinct regions resulting in conservation of amino acid sequences. Conversely, sequences from coastal South Africa that mapped to marine RNA virus JP-A exhibited more nonsynonymous mutations, probably representing amino acid changes that accumulated over a longer separation. This biogeographical analysis of marine RNA viruses demonstrates that purifying selection is occurring across oceanographic provinces. These data add to the spectrum of known marine RNA virus genomes, show the importance of dispersal and purifying selection for these viruses, and indicate that closely related RNA viruses are pathogens of eukaryotic microbes across oceans.IMPORTANCEVery little is known about aquatic RNA virus populations and genome evolution. This is the first study that analyzes marine environmental RNA viral assemblages in an evolutionary and broad geographical context. This study contributes the largest marine RNA virus metagenomic data set to date, substantially increasing the sequencing space for RNA viruses and also providing a baseline for comparisons of marine RNA virus diversity. The new viruses discovered in this study are representative of the most abundant family of marine RNA viruses, theMarnaviridae, and expand our view of the diversity of this important group. Overall, our data and analyses provide a foundation for interpreting marine RNA virus diversity and evolution.

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Morphological variation in Staurastrum rotula (Zygnemaphyceae, Desmidiales) in the deepest natural Brazilian lake: essence or accident?

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/1519-6984.24412 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 74 (2) ◽

pp. 371-381 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

LG. Barbosa ◽

GJM. Araujo ◽

FAR. Barbosa ◽

CEM. Bicudo

Keyword(s):

Asexual Reproduction ◽

Morphological Variation ◽

Point Of View ◽

Tropical Lakes ◽

Original Form ◽

Infraspecific Taxa ◽

Nutrients Availability ◽

Taxonomic Point ◽

Environmental Causes ◽

Biomass Increase

For many decades, polymorphism and its consequences have only been studied from the taxonomic point of view. Presently, interest has switched to the environmental causes of morphological variation and its consequences in the form and essence of the species. This study aimed at evaluating desmids morphological modifications of Staurastrum rotula Nordstedt during inter-annual succession patterns in two warm monomitic tropical lakes: Dom Helvécio (19°45′- 19°48′45″S, 42°33′45″W) and Carioca (19°45′20″S, 42°37′12″W). The effect of thermal stability and light and nutrients availability was based on samples collected monthly from January 2002 to December 2006 compared the morphological modifications. Results indicated that morphological variation, asexual reproduction, theratological forms, mucilaginous envelope and fungal infection were highest in Lake Dom Helvécio and coincided with the biomass increase of species with complex morphology between September and March (stratification period). The Zmix oscillation, wind and rainfall occurring at the end of the mixing period and beginning of the stratification were suggested as autochthonous and allochthonous disturbance agents, respectively, identified as inducers of asexual reproduction and consequently of the morphological variation. It was suggested that incidence of parasitism may act as a potential controlling agent for the Staurastrum rotula population size. It was concluded that morphological variation represents accidents in the original form, i.e. in the desmid species essence, promoting the existence of ecoforms, not of new infraspecific taxa.

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The variation of carbohydrates in various species of grasses and legumes

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b68-208 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 46 (12) ◽

pp. 1507-1511 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Kunihiko Ojima ◽

Takeshi Isawa

Keyword(s):

Relative Proportion ◽

Point Of View ◽

Flowering Stage ◽

Plant Materials ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Aerial Parts ◽

Storage Carbohydrate ◽

Taxonomic Point ◽

Materials Used ◽

Heading Stage

Qualitative and quantitative determinations were made of the available carbohydrates and the component sugars of hemicellulose in the aerial parts of a number of species of grasses and legumes cultured in the northern area of Japan. Plant materials used were leaf sheaths and stems from 25 species of grasses in the heading stage, and of 5 species of legumes at the flowering stage. The plants were found to vary in the type of storage carbohydrate contained in the aerial parts. Some species contained fructosan and sucrose, others starch and sucrose, while a few species contained very little fructosan or starch but mainly sucrose. The fructosan-storing species are members of the subfamily Festucoidea which are native to temperate or cooler climates. The species classified under subfamilies Eragrostoidea, Panicoidea, and Bambsoidea which are native to warmer climates, accumulated starch rather than fructosan. The hemicelluloses of southern grasses also contained a higher proportion of glucose relative to xylose than those of the northern grasses or subfamily Festucoidea. The plants were classified into groups according to differences in the type and relative proportion of individual carbohydrates and the results are discussed from a taxonomic point of view.

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Biochemical techniques for the genetic and phenotypic analysis of viruses: ‘Molecular Epidemiology’

Journal of Hygiene ◽

10.1017/s0022172400061076 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 94 (1) ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. S. Oxford

Keyword(s):

New Technologies ◽

Peptide Mapping ◽

Rna Virus ◽

Point Of View ◽

Enzyme Analysis ◽

Restriction Enzyme Analysis ◽

Phenotypic Analysis ◽

Virus Rna ◽

Viral Dnas ◽

Virus Genomes

New technologies now enable virologists to study small genetic and antigenic differences between field isolates of animal viruses at a higher level of discrimination than has been possible using conventional serological techniques. The most important of the laboratory techniques revolve around the use of monoclonal antibodies, peptide mapping, fingerprinting of whole RNA virus genomes, RNA:RNA hybridization, ‘electropherotyping’ of virus RNA or polypeptides, restriction enzyme analysis of virus DNA genomes, cloning of genes and rapid sequencing of viral DNAs and RNAs, in the latter case using primer extension techniques (reviewed by Palese & Roizman, 1980). From a practical point of view, genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity among viruses may be of considerable importance in attempts to control certain virus diseases by chemo- or immunoprophylaxis.

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Evolutionary origins of epidemic potential among human RNA viruses

10.1101/771394 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Lu Lu ◽

Liam Brierley ◽

Gail Robertson ◽

Feifei Zhang ◽

Samantha Lycett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rna Viruses ◽

Rna Virus ◽

Virus Genome ◽

Human Populations ◽

Infective Virus ◽

Genome Sequences ◽

Evolutionary Origins ◽

Virus Diversity ◽

Human Viruses ◽

Do So

AbstractTo have epidemic potential, a pathogen must be able to spread in human populations, but of human-infective RNA viruses only a minority can do so. We investigated the evolution of human transmissibility through parallel analyses of 1755 virus genome sequences from 39 RNA virus genera. We identified 57 lineages containing human-transmissible species and estimated that at least 74% of these lineages have evolved directly from non-human viruses in other mammals or birds, a public health threat recently designated “Disease X”. Human-transmissible viruses rarely evolve from virus lineages that can infect but not transmit between humans. This result cautions against focussing surveillance and mitigation efforts narrowly on currently known human-infective virus lineages and supports calls for a better understanding of RNA virus diversity in non-human hosts.

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Materials on the fauna of bivalve mollusks (Mollusca, Bivalvia) of the Taz river basin (Western Siberia)

Ruthenica, Russian Malacological Journal ◽

10.35885/ruthenica.2021.30(1).3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 13-32

Author(s):

E. S. Babushkin

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

River Basin ◽

Western Siberia ◽

Point Of View ◽

River Channels ◽

The Core ◽

Annotated List ◽

Temporary Habitats ◽

Taxonomic Point ◽

First Time

Based on a study of samples made by the author, 70 species of freshwater bivalves belonging to 6 genera and 2 families are recorded for the Taz River basin (north of Western Siberia). An annotated list of bivalves of the Taz basin is provided, with data on species’ range, their findings in Western Siberia and within the studied area. Some information about bionomics and abundance of bivalves are given. 45 species are for the first time registered in this basin. Most studied molluscan communities are characterized by low species richness; the distribution of species by their occurrence was extremely uneven. 22 species are characterized as rare. The highest species richness of bivalves was found in river channels, rivers and brooks; the lowest - in temporary habitats. The core of the fauna is constituted by species with broadest range (cosmopolitan, trans Holarctic, trans Palearctic) as well as by taxa with European Siberian type of distribution. From the taxonomic point of view, the bivalve fauna of the Taz basin is relatively separated from the faunas of other river basins of Western Siberia and is more similar to the fauna of the Lower Yenisean zoogeographic province (sensu Starobogatov [1986]).

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Viromes in Marine Ecosystems Reveal Remarkable Invertebrate RNA Virus Diversity

10.1101/2021.04.21.440720 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yu-Yi Zhang ◽

Yicong Chen ◽

Xiaoman Wei ◽

Jie Cui

Keyword(s):

Rna Viruses ◽

Rna Virus ◽

Marine Invertebrate ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Virus Evolution ◽

Marine Ecosystems ◽

Invertebrate Species ◽

Virus Diversity ◽

First Time ◽

Special Notice

AbstractOcean viromes remain poorly understood and little is known about the ecological factors driving aquatic RNA virus evolution. In this study, we used a meta-transcriptomic approach to characterize the viromes of 58 marine invertebrate species across three seas. This revealed the presence of 315 newly identified RNA viruses in nine viral families or orders (Durnavirales, Totiviridae, Bunyavirales, Hantaviridae, Picornavirales, Flaviviridae, Hepelivirales, Solemoviridae and Tombusviridae), with most of them are sufficiently divergent to the documented viruses. With special notice that we first time revealed an ocean virus rooting to mammalian hantaviruses. We also found evidence for possible host sharing and switch events during virus evolution. In sum, we demonstrated the hidden diversity of marine invertebrate RNA viruses.

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The nomenclatural status of the nomina of amphibians and reptiles created by Garsault (1764), with a parsimonious solution to an old nomenclatural problem regarding the genus Bufo (Amphibia, Anura), comments on the taxonomy of this genus, and comments on some nomina created by Laurenti (1768)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2447.1.1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2447 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

ALAIN DUBOIS ◽

ROGER BOUR

Keyword(s):

Positive Result ◽

Type Species ◽

Additional Data ◽

Bufo Bufo ◽

Point Of View ◽

Bufo Viridis ◽

Conservative Attitude ◽

Taxonomic Point ◽

Current Article ◽

Eurasian Species

The nomenclatural consequences of the recent rediscovery of the works of Garsault (1764, 1765, 1767) in amphibians and reptiles are examined in detail. The 13 new nomina of these two groups created by Garsault (1764) distribute in three categories: (1) three of these nomina (Lacertus, Rana viridis, Testudo marina) cause no problem, being just junior synonyms of senior nomina created by Linnaeus (1758); (2) four of them (Bufo, Salamandra, Scincus, Vipera) become the valid nomina of taxa, in replacement of identical nomina created later by Laurenti (1768), thus entailing no change in the nomina of their included species and subspecies but changes in their complete nominal-complexes (including their authors and dates); (3) six of these nomina are here rejected as invalid senior synonyms (Ranetta, Serpens, Lacertus aquatilis, Lacertus terrestris) or homonyms (Lacertus viridis, Testudo terrestris) of nomina in current use, by virtue of Article 23.9.1 of the Code. A very positive result of the rediscovery of these works is that it allows to solve for the best an old nomenclatural problem, concerning the nucleospecies (type-species) of the genus Bufo: whereas the nucleospecies (type-species) of Bufo Laurenti, 1768 is Bufo viridis Laurenti, 1768, we hereby designate Rana bufo Linnaeus, 1758 as nucleospecies of Bufo Garsault, 1764. This case shows that it is sometimes possible, even in complex nomenclatural situations, to solve them through a proper use of the Rules of the Code, without having to appeal to the ICZN for the use of its Plenary-Powers. From a taxonomic point of view, we think the data published so far do not allow currently to stabilise the generic taxonomy of the BUFONIDAE. Pending additional data, we support a conservative attitude, maintaining in the genus Bufo most species traditionally referred to this genus. In particular, we think all Eurasian species of this family, which include several pairs of species known to be able to produce viable adult hybrids, should be kept in this genus, but in three distinct subgenera: Bufo Garsault, 1764 for the group including Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758); Bufotes Rafinesque, 1815 for the group including Bufo viridis (Laurenti, 1768); and Epidalea Cope, 1864 for the group including Bufo calamita (Laurenti, 1768). This survey also allows to discuss the appropriateness of the current Article 11.9.5 dealing with specific trinomina, especially as they appear in Laurenti (1768), and to point again to the need to implement more drastic Rules regarding the conditions required for a nomen being compliant for protection through Article 23.9.1 of the Code.

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Cretaceous ammonite collection from Texas: R. Lasswitz, die Kreide-Ammoniten von Texas

Journal of Paleontology ◽

10.1017/s0022336000034399 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 68 (6) ◽

pp. 1409-1409

Author(s):

H. C. Klinger

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Point Of View ◽

Taxonomic Point ◽

Cretaceous Fossils

In 1904 R. Lasswitz described a collection of Cretaceous ammonites from Texas, most of which were collected in 1846 by Ferdinand Roemer. Apart from the historical value of the collection, Lasswitz described several new species, which also makes the collection important from a taxonomic point of view. According to Lasswitz, in his plate descriptions, all the original (figured) specimens of the (Roemer) collection were housed in the “Königlich Geologisches Museum” in Breslau. Adkins (1928) in his Handbook of Texas Cretaceous Fossils referred to the collection at “University of Breslau” and figured several specimens that he had photographed prior to 1928. He also made casts of some of the specimens (see, e.g., Young, 1979, p. 52).

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