Taxonomic entity of Saussurea taquetii (Asteraceae) compared with S. japonica and S. pulchella

Saussurea taquetii reported from Jejudo Island is either treated as a synonym of S. japonica or is recognized as a distinct taxon. Saussurea japonica and S. pulchella belong to the sect. Theodorea by having peculiar outer phyllaries with pale purplish scarious apical appendages; they are closely related to each other morphologically and are known to occur widely throughout the Korean Peninsula. To assess the taxonomic status of S. taquetii, we investigated representative populations of S. taquetii from jejudo Island, Korea, and S. japonica from Kyushu in Japan. We conducted a comparative study morphologically using specimens of three species from KH, CNU, and TI. Saussurea taquetii is very similar morphologically and ecologically to S. japonica in Kyushu. Unlike previous floristic treatments, we concluded that the two taxa, S. pulchella and S. taquetii, occur on the Korean Peninsula and on jejudo Island, respectively.

Rhyacophila siparantum sp. nov. (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae), a new species of the R. philopotamoides species group from the Republic of Kosovo with molecular and ecological notes

In this study we describe Rhyacophila siparantum sp. nov., a new species of the Rhyacophila philopotamoides species group from the Bjeshkët e Nemuna Mountains in Kosovo, based on morphological (male adults) and molecular (sequencing of the barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI)) characteristics. The new species is morphologically closest to Rhyacophila schmidinarica Urbanič, Krušnik & Malicky, 2000, and also closely resembling Rhyacophila hirticornis McLachlan, 1879. R. siparantum sp. nov. differs from both its most similar congeners primarily by the shape of the segment X, which is in lateral view short apically and with a pronounced lateral hump on the posterior edge. This difference, combined with other characters related to the shape of the second segment of inferior appendages, spine pattern of parameres and size of ventral teeth on segments VI and VII, make R. siparantum sp. nov. easily distinguishable from both most similar congeners. Phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships were reconstructed using two methods of phylogenetic inference, and two species delimitation methods. All this supports Rhyacophila siparantum sp. nov. as a distinct taxon. The adults of Rhyacophila siparantum sp. nov. were found during the period May – August, nearby a small rheocrene spring inside a forested area. The new species is most probably a microendemic of the Bjeshkët e Nemuna, a mountainous massive known for several other endemic species of caddisflies. Rhyacophila siparantum sp. nov. is the seventeenth known species of the genus Rhyacophila Pictet, 1834 from Kosovo.

Are Palmer’s Elm-Leaf Goldenrod and the Smooth Elm-Leaf Goldenrod Real? The Angiosperms353 Kit Provides Within-Species Signal in Solidago ulmifolia s. l.

Abstract— The genus Solidago represents a taxonomically challenging group due to its sheer number of species, putative hybridization, polyploidy, and shallow genetic divergence among species. Here we use a dataset obtained exclusively from herbarium specimens to evaluate the status of Solidago ulmifolia var. palmeri, a morphologically subtle taxon potentially confined to Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri. A multivariate analysis of both discrete and continuous morphological data revealed no clear distinction between S. ulmifolia var. palmeri and Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia. Solidago ulmifolia var. palmeri’s status was also assessed with a phylogenomic and SNP clustering analysis of data generated with the “Angiosperms353” probe kit. Neither analysis supported Solidago ulmifolia var. palmeri as a distinct taxon, and we suggest that this name should be discarded. The status of Solidago delicatula (formerly known as Solidago ulmifolia var. microphylla) was also assessed. Both morphological and phylogenetic analyses supported the species status of S. delicatula and we suggest maintaining this species at its current rank. These results highlight the utility of the Angiosperms353 probe kit, both with herbarium tissue and at lower taxonomic levels. Indeed, this is the first study to utilize this kit to identify genetic groups within a species.

Taxonomic notes on Philippine Hornstedtia (Zingiberaceae) including a description of a new species

A new species, Hornstedtia olivacea Docot & Pranada, from the province of Quezon, Philippines is described here with information on its distribution, habitat and phenology, along with a provisional IUCN conservation assessment. A second-step lectotypification of Hornstedtia conoidea Ridl. is proposed and a previous lectotypification of Hornstedtia microcheila Ridl. is clarified. Examination of the collection Ramos & Edaño 44454 supports the occurrence of Hornstedtia havilandii (K.Schum.) K.Schum. in the Philippines but new material is needed to check if the populations in the province of Sulu are distinct enough from the populations in Borneo to be recognised as a distinct taxon. An updated key to the Hornstedtia species of the Philippines is also provided.

Research in Boraginaceae: A new variety of Cryptantha maritima, Cryptantha pondii resurrected, and Johnstonella echinosepala transferred back to Cryptantha

A review of the species Cryptantha maritima (Boraginaceae) supports the continued recognition of the three varieties, these differing in corolla size, ovule and nutlet number, and calyx vestiture. Mapping of these taxa from verified specimens demonstrates some geographic trends, but also some overlap in ranges. In the process of our study, we discovered a new taxonomic entity. Cryptantha maritima var. vizcainensis is described as new. This variety is restricted to the Vizcaíno Desert of Baja California Sur, Mexico and should be considered rare, as it is known to date from only eleven collections. It differs from the other three varieties of the species in having a canescent, appressed-strigose stem vestiture lacking spreading trichomes, in having a relatively large corolla, and in having a fruit derived from two 1-ovuled ovary lobes, developing into two heteromorphic nutlets. We also discovered that the species Cryptantha pondii, previously treated as a synonym of C. patula, should be resurrected as a distinct taxon. Cryptantha pondii is restricted to the western Vizcaíno Desert and to Natividad Island of Baja California Sur. It is morphologically distinctive in having bracteate flowers, relatively large corollas, and four smooth nutlets heteromorphic by size. It is to date known from only three collections and should be considered extremely rare. We also reviewed the morphological and phylogenetic status of Johnstonella echinosepala. This taxon shows similarities to Cryptantha maritima and also exhibits some morphological discontinuity between Pacific and Gulf populations in Baja California Sur. Evidence from both morphological and phylogenetic studies supports the transfer of this species from the genus Johnstonella back to the genus Cryptantha. Finally, we propose that both C. pondii and C. echinosepala are likely close relatives of C. maritima, all of the “Maritimae clade,” a group distantly related to the main core of the genus Cryptantha. This study confirms the great importance of studying herbarium specimens in taxonomic research.

A taxonomic synopsis and morphological characterization of Myoxanthus (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae)

The taxonomic history, general description and distribution are provided for Myoxanthus. Morphological characterization of the vegetative and reproductive organs is illustrated with photographs. A list of the 52 accepted species includes synonyms and distribution; most are illustrated with a flower photograph. Lectotypes for M. frutex, M. lonchophyllus, M. neillii, M. pulvinatus, M. punctatus, and M. serripetalus are designated, and a neotype is selected for M. melittanthus. Myoxanthus parvilabius is reported for the first time for Colombia. The circumscription of M. lonchophyllus is reevaluated, Pleurothallis pennellia is recognized as a distinct taxon and transferred to Myoxanthus, and Myoxanthus panamense, a new species related to M. scandens, is described from Pamana.

Revealing the Characteristics of the Antarctic Snow Alga Chlorominima collina gen. et sp. nov. Through Taxonomy, Physiology, and Transcriptomics

Snow algae play crucial roles in cold ecosystems, however, many aspects related to their biology, adaptations and especially their diversity are not well known. To improve the identification of snow algae from colored snow, in the present study we used a polyphasic approach to describe a new Antarctic genus, Chlorominima with the species type Chlorominima collina. This new taxon was isolated of colored snow collected from the Collins Glacier (King George Island) in the Maritime Antarctic region. Microscopy revealed biflagellated ellipsoidal cells with a rounded posterior end, a C-shaped parietal chloroplast without a pyrenoid, eyespot, and discrete papillae. Several of these characteristics are typical of the genus Chloromonas, but the new isolate differs from the described species of this genus by the unusual small size of the cells, the presence of several vacuoles, the position of the nucleus and the shape of the chloroplast. Molecular analyzes confirm that the isolated alga does not belong to Chloromonas and therefore forms an independent lineage, which is closely related to other unidentified Antarctic and Arctic strains, forming a polar subclade in the Stephanosphaerinia phylogroup within the Chlamydomonadales. Secondary structure comparisons of the ITS2 rDNA marker support the idea that new strain is a distinct taxon within of Caudivolvoxa. Physiological experiments revealed psychrophilic characteristics, which are typical of true snow algae. This status was confirmed by the partial transcriptome obtained at 2°C, in which various cold-responsive and cryoprotective genes were identified. This study explores the systematics, cold acclimatization strategies and their implications for the Antarctic snow flora.

Saved by the Shell: Molecular Analysis Detects the Cryptic Sea Hare, Aplysia concava G. B. Sowerby I, 1833 (Mollusca: Heterobranchia: Aplysiidae), from Oceania, with a Redescription

A recent taxonomic revision split the circumglobal sea hare Aplysia parvula into 10 constituent taxa, of which only three are likely to be found in the Southern Pacific. This prompted an investigation of animals previously identified as A. parvula from Australia. Specimens collected from Eastern Australia and Hunter Island, east of New Caledonia, could not be satisfactorily identified with any of the currently accepted taxa based on morphological diagnostic features listed in the revision; however, the presence of a highly concave shell is diagnostic. Quantification of genetic divergence using Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) supports the delineation of this species as a distinct taxon, and a phylogenetic reconstruction based on concatenated COI, 16S and H3 markers reveals a sister relationship with the newly described Aplysia ghanimii from the Atlantic and Western Indian Oceans and an undescribed species from Japan. As a result, the name Aplysia concava G. B. Sowerby, I, 1833 is resurrected for this species. As the original description was based solely on a shell, a redescription is provided here with photographs of living animals and microscope images of internal anatomical structures.

Cranial morphology of the middle Permian pareiasaur Nochelesaurus alexanderi from the Karoo Basin of South Africa

ABSTRACT Pareiasaurs were globally distributed, abundant, herbivorous parareptiles with the basal-most members found only in the mid-Permian of South Africa. These basal forms form a monophyletic group and were locally abundant and became extinct at the top of the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone at the end of the Guadalupian. Four species of basal pareiasaurs are currently recognised: Bradysaurus baini, B. seeleyi, Embrithosaurus schwarzi and Nochelesaurus alexanderi, but they are all poorly understood and there remains historic uncertainty as to their validity. In this paper, our second contribution designed to improve understanding of the basal group, we present the first detailed cranial description and updated diagnosis for Nochelesaurus alexanderi and demonstrate that it is a distinct taxon based on one cranial autapomorphy, a large transversely wide postparietal, and a combination of cranial characters. Within the local group of mid-Permian pareiasaurs, we recognise new dental features of Nochelesaurus alexanderi: non-symmetrical marginal cusp arrangements on upper and lower teeth resulting from an extra basal mesial cusp; an incipient horizontal cingulum on lower jaw teeth, sometimes with one or two tiny medial cingular cusps; and up to ten marginal cusps. Our study demonstrates that tooth morphology and orientation, cranial ornamentation, morphology of the cheek bosses, shape of the postfrontal and postparietal, and morphology of the distal paroccipital process of the opisthotic are the most useful to identify South African mid-Permian pareiasaurs.

Is Palmer's elm leaf goldenrod real? The Angiosperms353 kit provides within-species signal in Solidago ulmifolia s.l.

The genus Solidago represents a taxonomically challenging group due to its sheer number of species, putative hybridization, polyploidy, and shallow genetic divergence among species. Here we use a dataset obtained exclusively from herbarium specimens to evaluate the status of Solidago ulmifolia var. palmeri, a morphologically subtle taxon potentially confined to Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri. A multivariate analysis of both discrete and continuous morphological data revealed no clear distinction between S. ulmifolia var. palmeri and Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia. Solidago ulmifolia var. palmeri status was also assessed with a phylogenomic and SNP clustering analysis of data generated with the Angiosperms353 probe kit. Neither analysis supported Solidago ulmifolia var. palmeri as a distinct taxon, and we suggest that this name should be discarded. The status of Solidago delicatula (formerly known as Solidago ulmifolia var. microphylla) was also assessed. Both morphological and phylogenic analyses supported the species status of S. delicatula and we suggest maintaining this species at its current rank. These results highlight the utility of the Angiosperms353 probe kit, both with herbarium tissue and at lower taxonomic levels. Indeed, this is the first study to utilize this kit to identify genetic groups within a species.