Morphological assessment supports the recognition of four novel species in the widely distributed velvet worm Peripatopsis moseleyi sensu lato (Onychophora : Peripatopsidae)

2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilke Ruhberg ◽  
Savel R. Daniels
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Novel Species ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Phylogenetic Study ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Velvet Worm

A recent phylogenetic study based on DNA sequence data (COI + 18S rDNA) together with basic morphological characteristics demonstrated the presence of four novel lineages within the widely distributed South African velvet worm species Peripatopsis moseleyi sensu lato (Onychophora, Peripatopsidae). In the present study, the morphological variation within P. moseleyi (Wood-Mason, 1879) is quantified and the novel species delineated and described. A total of 31 new specimens were collected from the Amathole Mountains in the Eastern Cape while a further 12 specimens were collected from Mount Currie Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. These samples together with selected specimens from the DNA study material were subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the presence of diagnostic morphological characters that could potentially be utilised in the delineation of the four novel lineages. The species diagnosis of P. moseleyi (Wood-Mason, 1879) is elucidated and amended since the original type description is inadequate and could apply to several Peripatopsis taxa. A neotype for P. moseleyi is designated because the syntypes appear lost. Four new species of Peripatopsis Pocock, 1894 are described; viz. Peripatopsis birgeri, sp. nov., P. hamerae, sp. nov., P. janni, sp. nov. and P. storchi, sp. nov.

Contrasting the population genetic structure of two velvet worm taxa (Onychophora : Peripatopsidae : Peripatopsis) in forest fragments along the south-eastern Cape, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Savel R. Daniels ◽  
Megan Dreyer ◽  
Prashant P. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Mtdna Coi ◽  
Haplotype Networks ◽  
Velvet Worm

During the present study, we examined the phylogeography and systematics of two species of velvet worm (Peripatopsis Pocock, 1894) in the forested region of the southern Cape of South Africa. A total of 89 P. moseleyi (Wood-Mason, 1879) and 65 P. sedgwicki (Purcell, 1899) specimens were collected and sequenced for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mtDNA (COI). In addition, a single P. sedgwicki specimen per sample locality was sequenced for the 18S rRNA locus. Furthermore, morphological variation among P. sedgwicki sample localities were explored using traditional alpha taxonomic characters. DNA sequence data were subjected to phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian inference and population genetic analyses using haplotype networks and analyses of molecular variance (AMOVAs). Phylogenetic results revealed the presence of four and three clades within P. moseleyi and P. sedgwicki respectively. Haplotype networks were characterised by the absence of shared haplotypes between clades, suggesting genetic isolation, a result corroborated by the AMOVA and highly significant FST values. Specimens from Fort Fordyce Nature Reserve were both genetically and morphologically distinct from the two remaining P. sedgwicki clades. The latter result suggests the presence of a novel lineage nested within P. sedgwicki and suggests that species boundaries within this taxon require re-examination.

scholarly journals Toward a Natural Classification of Botryosphaeriaceae: A Study of the Type Specimens of Botryosphaeria sensu lato

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Yupei Zhou ◽  
Wei Sun ◽  
Lili Zhao ◽  
D. Pavlic-Zupanc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequence ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Natural Classification ◽  
Dna Sequence Data

The genus Botryosphaeria includes more than 200 epithets, but only the type species, Botryosphaeria dothidea and a dozen or more other species have been identified based on DNA sequence data. The taxonomic status of the other species remains unconfirmed because they lack either morphological information or DNA sequence data. In this study, types or authentic specimens of 16 “Botryosphaeria” species are reassessed to clarify their identity and phylogenetic position. nuDNA sequences of four regions, ITS, LSU, tef1-α and tub2, are analyzed and considered in combination with morphological characteristics. Based on the multigene phylogeny and morphological characters, Botryosphaeria cruenta and Botryosphaeria hamamelidis are transferred to Neofusicoccum. The generic status of Botryosphaeria aterrima and Botryosphaeria mirabile is confirmed in Botryosphaeria. Botryosphaeria berengeriana var. weigeliae and B. berengeriana var. acerina are treated synonyms of B. dothidea. Botryosphaeria mucosa is transferred to Neodeightonia as Neodeightonia mucosa, and Botryosphaeria ferruginea to Nothophoma as Nothophoma ferruginea. Botryosphaeria foliicola is reduced to synonymy with Phyllachorella micheliae. Botryosphaeria abuensis, Botryosphaeria aesculi, Botryosphaeria dasylirii, and Botryosphaeria wisteriae are tentatively kept in Botryosphaeria sensu stricto until further phylogenetic analysis is carried out on verified specimens. The ordinal status of Botryosphaeria apocyni, Botryosphaeria gaubae, and Botryosphaeria smilacinina cannot be determined, and tentatively accommodate these species in Dothideomycetes incertae sedis. The study demonstrates the significance of a polyphasic approach in characterizing type specimens, including the importance of using of DNA sequence data.

scholarly journals New host associations and a novel species for the gall-inducing acacia rust genus Ravenelia in South Africa

MycoKeys ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malte Ebinghaus ◽  
Wolfgang Maier ◽  
Michael J. Wingfield ◽  
Dominik Begerow
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Novel Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Rust Fungi ◽  
New Host ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic

Trees in the genusVachellia(previouslyAcacia) are commonly infected by the gall-inducing rustsRaveneliamacowanianaandR.evansii. Rust galls bearing aecial infections and relating uredinial and telial infections on the leaves of nineVachelliaspecies not previously recorded to be infected byRaveneliaspp. have recently been collected in South Africa. The rust fungi causing these infections were characterised using molecular phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data of the LSU and ITS rDNA regions as well as morphological examinations. The host range ofR.macowanianaandR.evansiiwas thus re-assessed and extended from four to nine species and from one to three species, respectively. Application of Principal Component Analyses (PCA) of telial morphological characters provided evidence of an effect of the host species on the teliospore morphology inR.evansii, but only minor effects inR.macowaniana. A novel gall-inducingRaveneliasp. closely related toR.macowaniana, was found onVachelliaxanthophloeaand it is described here asR.xanthophloeae.

scholarly journals New host associations and a novel species for the gall-inducing acacia rust genus Ravenelia in South Africa

MycoKeys ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 125-145
Author(s):  
Malte Ebinghaus ◽  
Wolfgang Maier ◽  
Michael J. Wingfield ◽  
Dominik Begerow
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Novel Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Rust Fungi ◽  
New Host ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic

Trees in the genusVachellia(previouslyAcacia) are commonly infected by the gall-inducing rustsRaveneliamacowanianaandR.evansii. Rust galls bearing aecial infections and relating uredinial and telial infections on the leaves of nineVachelliaspecies not previously recorded to be infected byRaveneliaspp. have recently been collected in South Africa. The rust fungi causing these infections were characterised using molecular phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data of the LSU and ITS rDNA regions as well as morphological examinations. The host range ofR.macowanianaandR.evansiiwas thus re-assessed and extended from four to nine species and from one to three species, respectively. Application of Principal Component Analyses (PCA) of telial morphological characters provided evidence of an effect of the host species on the teliospore morphology inR.evansii, but only minor effects inR.macowaniana. A novel gall-inducingRaveneliasp. closely related toR.macowaniana, was found onVachelliaxanthophloeaand it is described here asR.xanthophloeae.

scholarly journals A new species of penzigioid Xylaria (Xylariaceae) from the cloud forest in eastern Mexico revealed through morphological and phylogenetic analyses

Botany ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (7) ◽  
pp. 381-389
Author(s):  
Santiago Chacón ◽  
Dolores González
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Data ◽  
Novel Species ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Phylogenetic Reconstruction ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Its Sequences ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Morphological Differences ◽  
Morphological Transformations

Xylaria subtropicalis, a species new to science, was collected from a montane cloud forest in eastern Mexico. It is described and illustrated, based on detailed macro- and microscopic morphological characteristics, habitat, and DNA sequence data. The distinctive morphological differences between X. subtropicalis and other Xylaria species include: the stromata being significantly erumpent, the size of the ascospores being 23–28 μm × 13–15 μm, and a straight germ slit as long as the spore. To determine whether this was a novel species, ITS sequences were generated and compared with 2478 sequences available for the genus from GenBank, using the software USEARCH. Additionally, a phylogenetic reconstruction was performed with Parsimony Ratchet, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian Inference, using 122 concatenated ITS sequences, and segments from the 28S rDNA and RPB2. Sequences of this novel species form a strongly supported lineage, clearly separated from other species of Xylaria. Phylogenetic relationships indicate that there have been numerous morphological transformations within the genus.

Phylogeny and Biogeography of Isoëtes (Isoëtaceae) Based on Nuclear and Chloroplast DNA Sequence Data

2006 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara B. Hoot ◽  
W. Carl Taylor ◽  
Nancy S. Napier
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
New World ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Intergenic Spacer ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Worldwide Distribution ◽  
The World ◽  
African Clade ◽  
Combined Data

Despite its ancient origins, worldwide distribution, and adaptation to diverse habitats, Isoëtes species have a highly conserved morphology, making it difficult to resolve phylogenetic relationships using morphological characters. In this paper, we report the results from various analyses (maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference) for Isoëtes species from around the world based on nucleotide sequences from the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and chloroplast atpB/rbcL intergenic spacer regions. The trees resulting from our analyses of the combined data contain six major well-supported clades (bootstrap ≥ 90%, posterior probabilities 1.00): A clade with possible Gondwanan affinities (I. australis, I. coromandelina, I. panamensis, I. cubana, I. jamaicensis); a South African clade (I. capensis, I. toximontana, I. stellenbossiensis, I. stephansenii); a largely Northern Hemisphere clade (I. nuttallii, I. orcuttii, I. minima, I. dixitei, I. abyssinica, I. olympica, I. longissima, I. velata); an Asian/Australasian clade (I. drummondii, I. gunnii, I. pusilla, I. kirkii, I. muelleri, I. taiwanensis, I. japonica, I. yunguiensis, I. habbemensis); a Mediterranean clade (I. histrix and I. setacea); and a poorly resolved clade consisting of 12 new world species (American species complex). Our results are compared to past classifications and various biogeographical scenarios are explored.

scholarly journals Investigating competencies needed by European-trained doctors in rural South African hospitals

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Barnacle ◽  
Oliver Johnson ◽  
Ian Couper
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Rural District ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Rural Medicine ◽  
Rural South ◽  
District Hospitals ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Postgraduate Diploma

Background: Many European-trained doctors (ETDs) recruited to work in rural district hospitals in South Africa have insufficient generalist competencies for the range of practice required. Africa Health Placements recruits ETDs to work in rural hospitals in Africa. Many of these doctors feel inadequately prepared. The Stellenbosch University Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health is launching a Postgraduate Diploma in Rural Medicine to help prepare doctors for such work.Aim: To determine the competencies gap for ETDs working in rural district hospitals in South Africa to inform the curriculum of the PG Dip (Rural Medicine).Setting: Rural district hospitals in South Africa.Methods: Nine hospitals in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga were purposefully selected by Africa Health Placements as receiving ETDs. An online survey was developed asking about the most important competencies and weaknesses for ETDs when working rurally. The clinical manager and any ETDs currently working in each hospital were invited to complete the survey.Results: Surveys were completed by 19 ETDs and five clinical managers. The top clinical competencies in relation to 10 specific domains were identified. The results also indicate broader competencies required, specific skills gaps, the strengths that ETDs bring to South Africa and how ETDs prepare themselves for working in this context.Conclusion: This study identifies the important competency gaps among ETDs and provides useful direction for the diploma and other future training initiatives. The diploma faculty must reflect on these findings and ensure the curriculum is aligned with these gaps.

Revised circumscription of Nothofagus and recognition of the segregate genera Fuscospora, Lophozonia, and Trisyngyne (Nothofagaceae)

Phytotaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 146 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER B. HEENAN ◽  
ROB D. SMISSEN
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
South America ◽  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
New Genus ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
New Combinations ◽  
Southern South America ◽  
Dna Sequence Data

The generic taxonomy of the Nothofagaceae is revised. We present a new phylogenetic analysis of morphological characters and map these characters onto a recently published phylogenetic tree obtained from DNA sequence data. Results of these and previous analyses strongly support the monophyly of four clades of Nothofagaceae that are currently treated as subgenera of Nothofagus. The four clades of Nothofagaceae are robust and well-supported, with deep stem divergences, have evolutionary equivalence with other genera of Fagales, and can be circumscribed with morphological characters. We argue that these morphological and molecular differences are sufficient for the four clades of Nothofagaceae to be recognised at the primary rank of genus, and that this classification will be more informative and efficient than the currently circumscribed Nothofagus with four subgenera.        Nothofagus is recircumscribed to include five species from southern South America, Lophozonia and Trisyngyne are reinstated, and the new genus Fuscospora is described. Fuscospora and Lophozonia, with six and seven species respectively, occur in New Zealand, southern South America and Australia. Trisyngyne comprises 25 species from New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. New combinations are provided where necessary in each of these genera.

scholarly journals Biological and Phylogenetic Analyses Suggest that Two Cryphonectria spp. Cause Cankers of Eucalyptus in Africa

Plant Disease ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 87 (11) ◽  
pp. 1329-1332 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Roux ◽  
H. Myburg ◽  
B. D. Wingfield ◽  
M. J. Wingfield
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South America ◽  
South African ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Eucalyptus Grandis ◽  
Its Region ◽  
South African Isolate ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
The Republic

Cryphonectria cubensis is an economically important pathogen of commercial Eucalyptus spp. Differences have been reported for disease symptoms associated with Cryphonectria canker in South Africa and other parts of the world, and recent DNA-based comparisons have confirmed that the fungus in South Africa is different from that in South America and Australasia. During a disease survey in the Republic of Congo, Cryphonectria canker was identified as an important disease on Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla. In this study, we compared Congolese and South African isolates of C. cubensis using DNA sequence data and pathogenicity under greenhouse conditions. The β-tubulin and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequences show that C. cubensis in Congo is different from the fungus in South Africa and that Congolese isolates group most closely with South American isolates. Furthermore, pathogenicity tests showed that a South African isolate was more aggressive than two Congolese isolates. We conclude that two distinct Cryphonectria spp. occur in Africa and hypothesize that the fungus in the Congo probably was introduced into Africa from South America. Both fungi are important pathogens causing disease and death of economically important plantation trees. However, they apparently have different origins and must be treated separately in terms of disease management and quarantine considerations.

Combined molecular and morphological phylogeny of Ephemerellinae (Ephemerellidae: Ephemeroptera), with remarks about classification

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 1991 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. HEATH OGDEN ◽  
JONATHAN T. OSBORNE ◽  
LUKE M. JACOBUS ◽  
MICHAEL F. WHITING
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Analysis ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Rdna Genes ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Extant Genus ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Combined Data

This study represents the first combined molecular and morphological analysis for the mayfly family Ephemerellidae (Ephemeroptera), with a focus on the relationships of genera and species groups of the subfamily Ephemerellinae. The phylogeny was constructed based on DNA sequence data from 3 nuclear (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, histone H3) and 2 mitochondrial (12S rDNA, 16S rDNA) genes, and 23 morphological characters. Taxon sampling for Ephemerellidae included exemplars from all 25 extant genus groups and additional representatives from those genera with the highest diversity. Ephemerellidae appears to consist of three major clades. Ephemerella, the largest genus of Ephemerellidae, and Serratella were not supported as monophyletic, and each had representatives in two of the three major clades. However, the genera Drunella and Cincticostella were supported as monophyletic. Lineages strongly supported as monophyletic include a grouping of the Timpanoginae genera Timpanoga, Dannella, Dentatella and Eurylophella, and groupings of the Ephemerellinae genera Torleya, Hyrtanella and Crinitella and the genera Kangella, Uracanthella and Teloganopsis. The placement of the Timpanoginae genus Attenella fell within Ephemerellinae, based on molecular and combined data, but it grouped with other Timpanoginae based on morphological data alone. Further study and analysis of Ephemerellidae morphology is needed, and classification should be revised, if it is to reflect phylogenetic relationships.

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