Expanding the geographical distribution of Blastobotrys malaysiensis (Saccharomycetales) beyond the Asian continent – a cave fungus first reported in the Americas

Saccharomycetales are ascomycetic yeasts and among them the genus Blastobotrys has approximately 30 known species. Blastobotrys malaysiensis is a yeast species, described from cave samples, known until then only from Malaysia. In this study, we characterize a new strain and report the second occurrence record of this species. Here, Blastobotrys malaysiensis SXS675, was collected from soil samples from a cave in the Parque Estadual de Terra Ronca (PETER) in Goiás, Brazil. Phylogenetic analyzes revealed strong support with the sequence of the species type, as well as with other species of the clade. This new record contributes by providing new molecular data for the species and expanding the knowledge of its distribution beyond the Asian continent. First record of a yeast for the American continent and its second mention for the world.

Diagnostic notes on the spider orb-weaving genera Carepalxis and Ocrepeira (Araneae: Araneidae), with description of three new species from Central Brazil

Three new species of the araneid spider genera Carepalxis L. Koch, 1872 and Ocrepeira Marx, 1883 from Central Brazil are described and illustrated: Carepalxis topazio new species, based on a single female from Cristalina; C. quasimodo new species, from Brasília and Jaborandi based on females and a male, this being the first male of Carepalxis described in the American continent; and Ocrepeira planalto new species, based on males and females from Cavalcante, Cristalina, Jaborandi and Alto Paraíso. A key to Carepalxis females in the New World is provided. Furthermore, the similarity between American Carepalxis and Ocrepeira is discussed, with diagnostic considerations.

Anthoceros subtilis and A. telaganus (Anthocerotaceae): two new records for America from the hornwort flora of Mexico

In a recent trip to southern Mexico, Anthoceros subtilis and A. telaganus were recorded for the first time in Mexico and the American continent. Several previous records of A. subtilis were from Asia and one from Africa, and A. telaganus is known only from Indonesia. The new range extension of these two species is reported and the species are described and illustrated. Mexican populations of A. subtilis are characterized by small brown spores (26–42 μm), similar ornamentation on proximal and distal spore surfaces with papillate to tuberculate projections. Anthoceros telaganus is characterized by larger black spores (32–53 μm) with a smooth strip along the trilete mark on the proximal surface. Molecular genetic sequencing is needed to test whether Asian and American populations of these morphologically similar but geographically disjunct taxa are conspecific.

The Strait of Magellan—a Gateway to New Worlds

The year 2020 marks the five hundredth anniversary of the “discovery” of the Strait of Magellan. The unveiling of this passage between 1519 and 1522 allowed the planet to be circumnavigated for the first time in the history of humanity. All maritime routes could now be connected, and the idea of the Earth, in its geographical, cosmographic, and philosophical dimensions, gained its definitive meaning. This discovery can be considered one of the founding events of the modern world and of the process of globalization that still continues today. This new connectivity awoke an immediate interest in Europe that led to the emergence of a political consciousness of possession, domination, and territorial occupation generalized on a global scale, and the American continent was the starting point for this. This consciousness also inspired a desire for knowledge about this new form of inhabiting the world. Various fields of knowledge were redefined thanks to the new spaces and measurements produced by the discovery of the southern part of the Americas, which was recorded in books on cosmography, natural history, cartography, and manuscripts, circulating mainly between the Americas and Europe. All these processes transformed the Strait of Magellan into a geopolitical space coveted by Europeans during the 16th century. As an interoceanic connector, it was used to imagine commercial routes to the Orient and political projects that could sustain these dynamics. It was also conceived as a space to speculate on the potential wealth in the extreme south of the continent. In addition, on the Spanish side, some agents of the Crown considered it a strategic place for imperial projections and the defense of the Americas.

RILA, Porto Murtinho and its cultural heritage: perspectives for preservation

As part of the studies developed by the University Network of the Latin American Integration Route (UniRila), this proposal intends to contextualize the municipality of Porto Murtinho in the process of occupation of the interior of the South American continent, understanding the Latin American Integration Route (RILA) as the culminating event of the process of territorialization-deterritorialization-reterritorialization of the region. For this purpose, historical, economic, geographic and geological aspects are considered, without which the conditions of urbanization would not be fully understood and public policies would be deficient. Thus, it is intended to draw attention to the impact that the production and export of commodities has on the territory in question.

A Trypanosoma cruzi strain from southern Mexico is more virulent for male mice in part by blocking the immune response

Introduction: Chagas disease is a neglected disease in the American continent. The southern Mexican state of Chiapas has the highest incidence rate of Chagas disease in the country. The disease, mainly caused by Tripanosoma cruzi in Mexico, is more prevalent in males than in females but the scientific basis for the sex-related tropism is not completely understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pathogenicity of a T. cruzi strain in mice of both sexes and to assess certain elements of the immune response in the infected animals. Methodology: Triatomines bugs were searched at Los Mezcales, Chiapas, Mexico and T. cruzi was identified by PCR and sequencing. A T. cruzi strain was isolated from the feces of triatomines bugs. Mice were infected with the strain and the virulence of the T. cruzi strain as well as the immune response against the infection was compared in male versus female mice. Results: T. dimidiata was identified in all dwellings. 42.9% of the bugs were infected with T. cruzi lineage TcI. Male mice exhibited higher parasitemia than females, and developed leukopenia and lower levels of anti-T. cruzi antibodies compared to female mice. Conclusions: The identification of the T. cruzi strain in this endemic region of Mexico revealed that male mice are prone to this infectious protozoo, in addition to manifesting a deficient immune response against infection. These findings may explain the greater number of cases of Chagas disease among men in this endemic region of Latin America.

Evolutionary dynamics of HIV-1 subtype C in Brazil

The extensive genetic diversity of HIV-1 is a major challenge for the prevention and treatment of HIV-1 infections. Subtype C accounts for most of the HIV-1 infections in the world but has been mainly localized in Southern Africa, Ethiopia and India. For elusive reasons, South Brazil harbors the largest HIV-1 subtype C epidemic in the American continent that is elsewhere dominated by subtype B. To investigate this topic, we collected clinical data and viral sequences from 2611 treatment-naïve patients diagnosed with HIV-1 in Brazil. Molecular epidemiology analysis supported 35 well-delimited transmission clusters of subtype C highlighting transmission within South Brazil but also from the South to all other Brazilian regions and internationally. Individuals infected with subtype C had lower probability to be deficient in CD4+ T cells when compared to subtype B. The HIV-1 epidemics in the South was characterized by high female-to-male infection ratios and women-to-child transmission. Our results suggest that HIV-1 subtype C probably takes advantage of longer asymptomatic periods to maximize transmission and is unlikely to outcompete subtype B in settings where the infection of women is relatively less relevant. This study contributes to elucidate factors possibly underlying the geographical distribution and expansion patterns of the most spread HIV-1 subtypes.

The Animal Eye and Refugee Vulnerability in Wajdi Mouawad’s Anima

Anima, by Lebanese-born Canadian-raised author Wajdi Mouawad, is a road novel that takes the reader through different locations on the North American continent in order to explore the darkest side of humankind. This approach will focus on the provocative narrative technique used by Mouawad, filtered through the eyes of a significant number of animals and insects, in order to consider the different representations of vulnerability that articulate the text. In the novel, animals and insects are not only the narrators but also fundamental characters. As this analysis will show, their vulnerability represents the uncertainty of fate in contemporary society, being in the hands of those apparently superior creatures that decide when they can live and when they have to die. As an example of a vulnerable text, Anima relies on the theatricality of this animal Greek chorus to represent the need for humans to undergo a process of animalization. The protagonist, Wahhch Debch, reaches a stage of symbiosis with his animal side that allows him to transcend his vulnerability as a child refugee and as an adult who lost his wife, and this new sense of animal self serves him as an empowering element to break ties with his past.

Laboulbeniomycetes (Fungi, Ascomycota) of Denmark

In this study, the thallus-forming Laboulbeniomycetes (Herpomycetales and Laboulbeniales) from Denmark are presented as an illustrated monograph. Sixteen species and one genus are newly described based on morphology and ecology (host association). The new genus is named Tanmaurkiella Santam. gen. nov. and includes two species: T. pselaphi Santam. gen. et sp. nov. (type species) and T. huggertii Santam. gen. et sp. nov., both on Pselaphus heisei Herbst, 1792 (Col. Staphylinidae Pselaphinae). The other 14 new species are Amorphomyces ventricosus Santam. sp. nov. on Myrmecocephalus concinnus (Erichson, 1839) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Cantharomyces papillatus Santam. sp. nov. on Bledius terebrans (Schiødte, 1866) (Col. Staphylinidae Oxytelinae), Cryptandromyces cryptophagi Santam. sp. nov. on Cryptophagus distinguendus Sturm, 1845 (Col. Cryptophagidae), Cryptandromyces danicus Santam. sp. nov. on Euconnus wetterhallii (Gyllenhal, 1813) (Col. Staphylinidae Scydmaeninae), Dimeromyces oculatus Santam. sp. nov. on Longitarsus luridus (Scopoli, 1763) (Col. Chrysomelidae), Euphoriomyces enghoffii Santam. sp. nov. on Leiodes rugosa Stephens, 1829 (Col. Leiodidae), Euphoriomyces smicri Santam. sp. nov. on Smicrus filicornis (Fairmaire & Laboulbène, 1855) (Col. Ptiliidae), Laboulbenia inexpectata Santam. sp. nov. on Acupalpus exiguus Dejean, 1829 (Col. Carabidae), Laboulbenia pygidicola Santam. sp. nov. on Syntomus truncatellus (Linnaeus, 1761) (Col. Carabidae), Monoicomyces brachiatus Santam. sp. nov. on Atheta sodalis (Erichson, 1837) and Ocyusa picina (Aubé, 1850) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Monoicomyces crassicaulis Santam. sp. nov. on Oxypoda elongatula Aubé, 1850 (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Monoicomyces reboleirae Santam. sp. nov. on Gnypeta carbonaria (Mannerheim, 1830) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Monoicomyces validus Santam. sp. nov. on Atheta vestita (Gravenhorst, 1806), Aleochara grisea Kraatz, 1856, and Geostiba circellaris (Gravenhorst, 1806) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), and Stigmatomyces thoracochaetae Santam. sp. nov. on Thoracochaeta brachystoma (Stenhammer, 1855) (Diptera Sphaeroceridae). The total number of laboulbeniaceous species from Denmark rises from 29 to 195, which means that 166 are here reported as new country records. Among these, Kainomyces isomali Thaxt. deserves special mention as it is a new European record. The same applies to nine species which are reported here for the first time after their original description. For this study, an intensive sampling programme has been realized, with 429 Danish localities screened including around 1900 collections with fungi. Two new synonymies are established: Laboulbenia acupalpi Speg. (Spegazzini 1915a) syn. nov. for Laboulbenia stenolophi Speg. (Spegazzini 1914), and Monoicomyces oxytelis Huldén (Huldén 1983) syn. nov. for Monoicomyces invisibilis Thaxt. (Thaxter 1900). The new combination Peyritschiella oxyteli (Cépède & F.Picard) Santam. comb. nov. is proposed for Rheophila oxyteli Cépède & F.Picard including neotypification, and delimitation of Peyritschiella protea Thaxt. is incorporated. Lectotypes for Laboulbenia polyphaga Thaxt. and Symplectromyces vulgaris (Thaxt.) Thaxt. are designated. Nineteen species are illustrated here with photographs for the first time. Three species: Eumonoicomyces papuanus Thaxt., Peyritschiella protea, and Stigmatomyces euconni F.Picard, which were reported from Denmark in the literature should be removed from the Danish Funga. We have examined the following types of Thaxter from FH (Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University Herbaria): Asaphomyces cholevae Thaxt., Dimorphomyces myrmedoniae Thaxt., Eumonoicomyces papuanus, Laboulbenia polyphaga, Peyritschiella protea, Rhadinomyces pallidus Thaxt., and Symplectromyces vulgaris. Ceratomyces pyrenaeus Santam. is newly recorded from USA, and this is also a new record from the American continent. Description of the genus Cryptandromyces Thaxt. has been emended to incorporate the new species here described. Morphology of the antheridium in Eumonoicomyces papuanus is studied, and the status of the genus Eumonoicomyces Thaxt. vis-à-vis Monoicomyces Thaxt. is discussed. Identification keys are provided for genera and species. In support of the additional aim of this work to serve as a reference for the study of Laboulbeniomycetes fungi in Europe, we include maps and the Appendix 1 for comparison of the known species in the ten most diverse, better studied, European countries.