Ovalopodium rosalinum sp. nov., Planopodium haveli gen. nov, sp. nov., Planopodium desertum comb. nov. and new insights into phylogeny of the deeply branching members of the order Himatismenida (Amoebozoa)

Author(s):  
Alexander Kudryavtsev ◽  
Eckhard Völcker ◽  
Steffen Clauß ◽  
Jan Pawlowski

The order Himatismenida (Amoebozoa, Discosea) comprises naked amoebae with an organic coat that is located on the dorsal surface of the cell. The phylogenetic relationships among deeply branching genera of the Himatismenida are unclear, as data on the species diversity of the himatismenid genera is largely restricted to the derived genus Cochliopodium. Here, we describe two new amoeba species that branch at the base of the order Himatismenida, evidenced by SSU rRNA gene and multigene analyses. Among them, a freshwater species Planopodium haveli gen. nov., sp. nov. has a dorsal cell coat consisting of flat, oval scales. This species forms a clade at the base of the Himatismenida, and the previously described Ovalopodium desertum, its closest relative, is transferred into the new genus as Planopodium desertum comb. nov. Although the two species are barely distinguishable by their sequence data, they are clearly distinct in morphology. Using this data, we can report the first evidence of a dorsal cell coat consisting of scales outside of the genus Cochliopodium. The other species has a marine origin and branches deeply, close to the root of the phylogenetic tree of Himatismenida. Based on the morphology of this amoeba, it should be described as Ovalopodium rosalinum sp. nov., a new species of the genus Ovalopodium. Analyses of the phylogenetic relationships and the ultrastructure of the deeply branching himatismenids, together with several of the newly obtained gene sequences of Parvamoeba and Cochliopodium, suggest that some elements of the dorsal cell coat of Ovalopodium may be ancestral for Himatismenida and have been partly retained in various more derived species of this clade, in particular, Cochliopodium gallicum. Although actin and Cox1 gene data do not resolve the higher-level relationships in Himatismenida, they correspond to the grouping of species within most genera.

Parasitology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. GRISARD ◽  
N. R. STURM ◽  
D. A. CAMPBELL

Trypanosomes isolated from South American bats include the human pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi. Other Trypanosoma spp. that have been found exclusively in bats are not well characterized at the DNA sequence level and we have therefore used the SL RNA gene to differentiate and characterize kinetoplastids isolated from bats in South America. A Trypanosoma sp. isolated from bats in southern Brazil was compared with the geographically diverse isolates T. cruzi marinkellei, T. vespertilionis, and T. dionisii. Analysis of the SL RNA gene repeats revealed size and sequence variability among these bat trypanosomes. We have developed hybridization probes to separate these bat isolates and have analysed the DNA sequence data to estimate their relatedness. A new species, Trypanosoma desterrensis sp. n., is proposed, for which a 5S rRNA gene was also found within the SL RNA repeat.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 498 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-185
Author(s):  
MILAN ŠPETÍK ◽  
AKILA BERRAF-TEBBAL ◽  
ROBERT POKLUDA ◽  
ALEŠ EICHMEIER

During the investigation of fungal microbiome associated with boxwood in the Czech Republic, samples from Buxus sempervirens L. (Buxaceae) plants were collected and used for isolation. Two fungal strains were proposed as a new species Pyrenochaetopsis kuksensis based on morphology as well as phylogenetic analyses of ITS, LSU, rpb2, and tub2 sequence data. Detailed descriptions and phylogenetic relationships of the new taxon are provided.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4374 (4) ◽  
pp. 565 ◽  
Author(s):  
CALEB OFORI-BOATENG ◽  
ADAM D. LEACHÉ ◽  
BRIGHT OBENG-KANKAM ◽  
N’GORAN GERMAIN KOUAMÉ ◽  
ANNIKA HILLERS ◽  
...  

We describe a new species of Phrynobatrachus from the eastern part of the Upper Guinea forest region, Ghana, West Africa. Morphologically, the new species can be distinguished from all of its congeners by the combination of a slender body, short and pointed snout, a relatively warty dorsum, a black-spotted throat in both sexes, a gular flap in males, a dark spotted chest, a white-greyish venter with occasional blackish spots, rudimentary pedal webbing, none to slightly dilated finger tips and strongly delated toe tips, presence of both inner and outer metatarsal tubercles and absence of a dark face mask, eyelid tubercles and longer dorsal ridges. We collected mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data from the 16S rRNA gene to measure the genetic diversity of the new species, and to estimate phylogenetic relationships. The new species is a distinct and monophyletic evolutionary lineage most closely related to Phrynobatrachus gutturosus, P. fraterculus and P. maculiventris. The discovery of this new species highlights that the biodiversity of West African forests is still incompletely known and that the few remaining forests need urgent protection. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5081 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-130
Author(s):  
BRIAN W. BAHDER ◽  
MARCO A. ZUMBADO ECHAVARRIA ◽  
EDWIN A. BARRANTES BARRANTES ◽  
ERICKA E. HELMICK ◽  
CHARLES R. BARTLETT

The derbid genus Oropuna is a small taxon of Neotropical planthoppers in the tribe Cenchreini comprised of three species. Recent survey work on palms for planthoppers in Costa Rica resulted in the discovery of a fourth species, Oropuna halo sp. n. In this study the new species is described and a key to the four species is provided along with sequence data for the cyctochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 18S rRNA gene for the novel taxon.  


Phytotaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 297 (1) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
MOSLEM PAPIZADEH ◽  
MOHAMMAD REZA SOUDI ◽  
LEILA AMINI ◽  
NALIN N. WIJAYAWARDENE ◽  
KEVIN D. HYDE

A pyrenochaeta-like species was isolated from soil in rice farms in Mazandaran Province (formerly Tabarestan), Iran. Phylogenetic analyses of SSU, LSU, ITS, β-tubulin and actin sequence data showed that the new collection clustered with species in Pyrenochaetopsis sensu stricto. In morphology, phylogeny and physiological characters, the new strains are distinct from other species, thus, they are introduced as a new species viz. P. tabarestanensis. Illustrations, descriptions and taxonomic notes are provided for P. tabarestanensis. Additionally, the phylogenetic relationships of Pyrenochaeta and Pyrenochaetopsis species in Cucurbitariaceae is discussed.


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4722 (5) ◽  
pp. 401-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
TRUONG QUANG NGUYEN ◽  
CUONG THE PHAM ◽  
TAO THIEN NGUYEN ◽  
ANH MAI LUONG ◽  
THOMAS ZIEGLER

A new species of Megophrys is described from Cao Bang Province, northeastern Vietnam based on morphological and molecular data. Morphologically, the new species is distinguishable from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: Size small (SVL 34.9–38.9 mm in males); tympanum visible; vomerine teeth absent; tongue not notched posteriorly; male with a single vocal sac; toes with rudimentary webbing; subarticular tubercles and lateral fringes absent on all digits; nuptial pads present on fingers I and II in males, with spicules; dorsal skin with scattered granules and tubercles; flank with tubercles; dorsum with a X-shaped dorsal ridge; dorsolateral folds prominent; a small horn-like tubercle present at the outer edge of the eyelid; dorsal surface yellowish brown with a dark brown triangle between the eyes, and a dark brown marking along the X-shaped ridge on the back. In the phylogenetic analyses, the new species is unambiguously nested within the subgenus Panophrys with interspecific uncorrected genetic p-distances (16S rRNA gene) varying from 4.26% (compared with M. rubrimera) to 10.80% (compared with M. acuta).


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2767 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
MITSURU KURAMOTO ◽  
NAOKI SATOU ◽  
SHOHEI OUMI ◽  
ATSUSHI KURABAYASHI ◽  
MASAYUKI SUMIDA

The endangered frog, Odorrana ishikawae (Anura, Ranidae), is a species endemic to the Amami and Okinawa Islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Segmentation of these islands has been considered to occur middle or upper Pleistocene. Our morphometric analyses revealed obvious differences between the Amami and Okinawa populations. Two distinct morphotypes were also recognized from the Amami Island (Amami common and Amami large types). Furthermore, the Amami and Okinawa populations could be distinguished clearly by coloration and dorsal tuberculation. Based on 16S rRNA gene data, the Okinawa and Amami populations were phylogenetically separated but the genetic divergence (1.44– 2.16%) was lower than the value suggested as species threshold in anurans (> 3% in 16S). Individuals of the Amami common and large types were nested within a single clade. Artificial hybridization experiments revealed normal hybrid viability between the two Amami types, with one exception. By contrast, between Okinawa females and two Amami type males, complete hybrid inviability was observed at early embryonic stages in the hybrids contrary to expectations from their low divergence in 16S. The reciprocal hybrids between two Amami type females and Okinawa males were viable, but spermatogenesis in the hybrid males showed some degree of abnormality. These results strongly indicate specific separation of the Amami population from the Okinawa population of O. ishikawae. Thus, we describe the Amami population as a new species, which is readily distinguishable from O. ishikawae by smaller ruggedly edged dorsal spots and an immaculate ventral surface.


Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4282 (2) ◽  
pp. 324 ◽  
Author(s):  
KEIICHI KAKUI ◽  
DAISUKE SHIMADA

We describe Tanaopsis japonica sp. nov. from intertidal and nearshore habitats around Hokkaido Island, northern Japan. This species closely resembles T. chotkarakde Bird & Bamber, 2000 and T. rawhitia Bird, 2011 in having the uropod with the endopod biarticulate and the exopod uniarticulate, but differs from them in the following characters: pereonite 4 as long as pereonite 5; mandibles lacking the molar; the number of simple setae on the antenna, propodal palm, and dactylus of pereopods 1–3; the number of spiniform setae on the cutting surface of the chelipedal dactylus; and the number of setae on the pleopods. We also determined a nearly complete nucleotide sequence for the 18S rRNA gene in T. japonica. In both sexes, Tanaopsis japonica sp. nov. bears serial ridges and grooves on the chela, antennule, and antenna. Parallel, fringed hatch marks on the chelipedal dactylus may function in stridulation. A series of denticulate ridges on the dorsal surface of antennal article 2 faces the ventral side of article 1 of the antennule, where there is a ventral series of slight grooves. Although the ranges of motion of the antennule and antenna were unclear, the ridges and grooves on the antenna and antennule may also function in producing sound. Two outer series of ridges on the chela, together with an outer furrow on the chela, may function in digging, by allowing bottom-sediments to be efficiently pushed aside. 


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