rbcL AND ITS BARCODING AND PHYLOGENETICS OF CYCAS PSCHANNAE Srivast & Singh

Barcoding of Cycas pschannae Srivast. & Singh from Andaman & Nicobar Islands was done with the help of rbcL and ITS(Standard Universal Barcode Sequence- CBoL) and submitted to GenBank. Phylogenetic relationship of this species was analyzed and Cladistic study of nine Cycas species from India and adjacent country including Cycas revoluta thunb had been conducted with help of BLAST tool by using rbcL barcode sequence, which reveals that Cycas pschannae has close relation with Cycas circinalis as compared to other Indian species.

Addressing widespread misidentifications of traditional medicinal mushrooms in Sanghuangporus (Basidiomycota) through ITS barcoding and designation of reference sequences

Abstract“Sanghuang” refers to a group of important traditionally-used medicinal mushrooms belonging to the genus Sanghuangporus. In practice, species of Sanghuangporus referred to in medicinal studies and industry are now differentiated mainly by a BLAST search of GenBank with the ITS barcoding region as a query. However, inappropriately labeled ITS sequences of “Sanghuang” in GenBank restrict accurate species identification and, to some extent, the utilization of these species as medicinal resources. We examined all available 271 ITS sequences related to “Sanghuang” in GenBank including 31 newly submitted sequences from this study. Of these sequences, more than half were mislabeled so we have now corrected the corresponding species names. The mislabeled sequences mainly came from strains utilized by non-taxonomists. Based on the analyses of ITS sequences submitted by taxonomists as well as morphological characters, we separate the newly described Sanghuangporus subbaumii from S. baumii and treat S. toxicodendri as a later synonym of S. quercicola. Fourteen species of Sanghuangporus are accepted, with intraspecific distances up to 1.30% (except in S. vaninii, S. weirianus and S. zonatus) and interspecific distances above 1.30% (except between S. alpinus and S. lonicerinus, and S. baumii and S. subbaumii). To stabilize the concept of these 14 species of Sanghuangporus, their taxonomic information and reliable ITS reference sequences are provided. Moreover, ten potential diagnostic sequences are provided for Hyperbranched Rolling Circle Amplification to rapidly confirm three common commercial species, viz. S. baumii, S. sanghuang, and S. vaninii. Our results provide a practical method for ITS barcoding-based species identification of Sanghuangporus and will promote medicinal studies and commercial development from taxonomically correct material.

One new species and one new record of Zasmidium in China

Two hyphomycetous species were collected from leaves of Smilax china (Liliales, Smilacaceae) and Cremastra appendiculata (Asparagales, Orchidaceae). ITS barcoding indicated that they belong to the genus Zasmidium. Morphological data in combination with molecular phylogenetic analyses based on ITS, LSU and rpb2 confirmed that our Chinese strains represented a new species, Zasmidium liboense and a new record of Z. citri-griseum.

Biodiversity and ecology of lichens of Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

We inventoried lichens in Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska, USA We assembled the known information on occurrence and ecology of lichens in this park by combining field, herbarium, and literature studies. Our results provide baseline data on lichen occurrence that may be used in resource condition assessments, vulnerability assessments, long-term ecological monitoring, and resource management. We report a total of 616 taxa of lichenized fungi from the Park, plus an additional five subspecies and three varieties, all of which are new additions to the National Park Service database for this park unit. An additional five species of nonlichenized lichenicolous fungi are reported here. Eight non-lichenized fungi that are traditionally treated with lichens are also included, most of these associated with bark of particular host species. Four taxa new to North America are reported here (Arctomia delicatula var. acutior, Aspicilia dudinensis, Myriospora myochroa, and Ochrolechia bahusiensis), along with 44 species new to Alaska. Numerous species have been confirmed using ITS barcoding sequences. Also several records assigned to the genus level are reported, many of those are likely new species.

ITS barcoding-based species identification for Sanghuangporus (Basidiomycota), a genus of medicinal mushrooms

“Sanghuang” is a kind of important medicinal mushrooms and taxonomically represented by members in the fungal genus Sanghuangporus. Species of Sanghuangporus referred to medicinal studies and industry are discriminated mainly by BLAST search of GenBank with ITS barcoding region as a query. However, the inappropriately labeled ITS sequences related to “Sanghuang” in GenBank restrict accurate species identification and, to some extent, the utilization of these medicinal resources. Here, we examined all available 271 ITS sequences related to “Sanghuang” from GenBank including 31 newly submitted sequences for this study. Of these sequences, more than half were mislabeled and the corresponding species names are corrected. The mislabeled sequences mainly came from strains by non-taxonomists. Based on the analyses of ITS sequences submitted by taxonomists, we treat Sanghuangporus toxicodendri as a later synonym of S. quercicola, and the intraspecific and interspecific differences are below 1.50% (but S. weirianus) and above 1.50%, respectively. Moreover, ten potential diagnostic sequences are provided for hyperbranched rolling circle amplification to rapidly detect three common commercial species, viz. S. baumii, S. sanghuang and S. vaninii. Generally, the current results provide a practical method for ITS barcoding-based species identification of Sanghuangporus, and will promote medicinal studies and industrial development from the taxonomic perspective.

A pot-pourri of new species of Trypetheliaceae resulting from molecular phylogenetic studies

Based on separately obtained and analyzed molecular data and within the framework of a global revision of the family Trypetheliaceae, 21 new species are described, from the Neotropics and tropical Asia, in the genera Architrypethelium (1), Astrothelium (15), Bathelium (1), Nigrovothelium (1), Trypethelium (1), and Viridothelium (2), namely: Architrypethelium lauropaluanum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. hyalinum in the perithecia immersed between coarse thallus verrucae and in the additional ascospore septa; Astrothelium aurantiacocinereum Lücking, Naksuwankul & Lumbsch sp. nov., differing from A. aeneum in the prominent, well-delimited, trypethelioid pseudostromata and the absence of pigment on the thallus surface, as well as in the barely lichenized thallus; A. carassense Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. purpurascens in orange, K+ red pseudostroma pigment and the slightly larger ascospores; A. cryptolucens Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & N. Salazar sp. nov., differing from A. carrascoense in the inspersed hymenium; A. fijiense Lücking, Naksuwankul & Lumbsch sp. nov., differing from A. cinereorosellum in the presence of lichexanthone on the well-delimited pseudostromata and in the slightly shorter ascospores; A. laevithallinum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. endochryseum in the smooth thallus; A. leucosessile Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Aptroot sp. nov., differing from A. phlyctaena in the conspicuous, sessile pseudostromata; A. macrostomoides Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Benatti sp. nov., differing from A. macrostomum in the larger ascospores; A. megacrypticum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & N. Salazar sp. nov., differing from A. longisporum in the single-spored asci and larger ascospores; A. nicaraguense Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & T. Orozco sp. nov., differing from A. gigantosporum in the smaller ascospores; A. norisianum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Aptroot sp. nov., differing from A. sepultum in the distinct, well-delimited pseudostromata; A. obtectum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Benatti sp. nov., differing from A. nigrocacuminum in the smaller ascospores; A. sordithecium Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. leucothelium in the inspersed hymenium and the absence of lichexanthone from the thallus surface outside the pseudostromata; A. subendochryseum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. endochryseum in the absence of pigment in the pseudostromata and the lateral thallus cover of the pseudostromata; A. subinterjectum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Jungbluth sp. nov., differing from A. obtectum in the smaller pseudostromata and smaller ascospores, and from A. interjectum in the diffuse pseudostromata and smaller ascospores; Bathelium porinosporum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Gueidan sp. nov., differing from other Bathelium species in the 3-septate, euseptate ascospores; Nigrovothelium bullatum Lücking, Upreti & Lumbsch sp. nov., differing from N. tropicum in the bullate thallus; Trypethelium tolimense Lücking, Moncada & M. Gut. sp. nov., differing from T. xanthoplatystomum in the absence of a yellow-orange pigment on the pseudostromata and the K+ yellow (not K+ red) medullary pigment; Viridothelium tricolor Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & N. Salazar sp. nov., characterized by black perithecia with a lateral ostiole immersed in white pseudostromata strongly contrasting with the surrounding brown thallus, in combination with 2-spored asci and large, muriform ascospores; and V. vonkonratii Lücking, Naksuwankul & Lumbsch sp. nov., differing from V. virens in larger ascospores and mostly solitary ascomata. All species are illustrated and their taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships are discussed. ITS barcoding sequences are reported for five specimens of Bathelium porinosporum.

Sulzbacheromyces caatingae: notes on its systematics, morphology and distribution based on ITS barcoding sequences

Sulzbacheromyces is a recently erected genus in Lepidostromatales, differing from Lepidostroma in the crustose thallus. After the initial discovery of S. caatingae, the only species to be found in Brazil so far, a large quantity of additional data and ITS barcoding sequences for this taxon from a much broader geographical range and different habitats was collected. Phylogenetic analysis under a maximum likelihood framework demonstrated that all specimens are genetically uniform, showing no variation in their ITS, suggesting that S. caatingae has a wide ecological amplitude beyond the Brazilian Caatinga and Atlantic Forest biomes. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the species are presented, including a map showing the distribution of S. caatingae in the Brazilian semi-arid region and the north-eastern Atlantic rainforest.