Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal two new Penicillium species isolated from the ancient Great Wall loess in Beijing, China.

Introduction: Penicillium species exhibit a broad distribution in nature and play a crucial role in human and ecological environments. Methods: Two Penicillium species isolated from the ancient Great Wall loess in the Mentougou District of Beijing, China, were identified and described as new species, namely, Penicillium acidogenicum and P. floccosum, based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of multiple genes including ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2 genes. Results: Phylogenetic analyses showed that both novel species formed a distinctive lineage and that they were most closely related to P. chrzaszczii and P. osmophilum, respectively. Discussion: Penicillium acidogenicum is characterized by biverticillate conidiophores that produce globose conidia and is distinguished from similar species by its capacity to grow on CYA at 30°C. Penicillium floccosum is typically recognized by its restricted growth and floccose colony texture. The description of these two new species provided additional knowledge and new insights into the ecology and distribution of Penicillium.

Antibiotic susceptibility and resistance genes profiles of Vagococcus salmoninarum in a rainbow trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss, Walbaum) farm.

Disease outbreaks negatively affect fish production. Antimicrobial agents used in the treatment of diseases become ineffective over time because of antibiotic resistance developed by bacteria distributed in the aquaculture environment. This study was conducted for 4 months (cold period) in a fish farm to detect the fish disease, cold water streptococcosis. In the study, four brood stock showing disease signs were detected. Bacteria isolates were obtained and identified as Vagococcus salmoninarum. Antimicrobial susceptibility of V. salmoninarum was tested and antibiotic resistance gene profiles of V. salmoninarum isolates were screened. The phylogenetic relation of the isolates with the previously reported strains was evaluated. Antibiotic resistance developed by pathogenic bacteria is distributed in the aquaculture environment. The transfer of resistance genes from one bacterium to another is very common. This situation causes the antimicrobial agents used in the treatment of diseases to become ineffective over time. The disc diffusion test showed that all four isolates developed resistance to 13 (FFC30, AX25, C30, E15, CF30, L2, OX1, S10, T30, CRO30, CC2, PT15 and TY15) of the evaluated antibiotics and were about to develop resistance to six others (AM 10, FM 300, CFP75, SXT25, APR15 and TE30). Furthermore, antibiotic resistance genes tetA, sul1, sul2, sul3, dhfr1, ereB and floR were detected in the isolated strain. Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis showed that isolated V. salmoninarum strain (ESN1) was closely related to the bacterial strains isolated from USA and Jura.

Four new species of Dothideomycetes (Ascomycota) from Pará Rubber (Heveabrasiliensis) in Yunnan Province, China.

The tropical areas in southern and south-western Yunnan are rich in fungal diversity. Additionally, the diversity of seed flora in Yunnan Province is higher than in other regions in China and the abundant endemic species of woody plants provide favourable substrates for fungi. Rubber plantations in Yunnan Province are distributed over a large area, especially in Xishuangbanna. During a survey of rubber-associated fungi in Yunnan Province, China, dead rubber branches with fungal fruiting bodies were collected. Morphological characteristics and multigene phylogenetic analyses (ITS, LSU, SSU, rpb2 and tef1-α) revealed four distinct new species, described herein as Melomastiapuerensis, Nigrogranalincangensis, Pseudochaetosphaeronemalincangensis and Pseudochaetosphaeronemaxishuangbannaensis. Detailed descriptions, illustrations and phylogenetic trees are provided to show the taxonomic placements of these new species.

Revisiting the genotypes of Theileria equi based on the V4 hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene.

Introduction: Equine theileriosis, an economically important disease that affects horses and other equids worldwide, is caused by a tick-borne intracellular apicomplexan protozoa Theileria equi. Genotyping of T. equi based on the 18S rRNA gene revealed the presence of two, three, four or five genotypes. In previous published reports, these genotypes have been labelled either alphabetically or numerically, and there is no uniformity in naming of these genotypes. The present study was aimed to revisit the phylogeny, genetic diversity and geographical distribution of T. equi based on the nucleotide sequences of the V4 hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene available in the nucleotide databases. Methods: Out of 14792 nucleotide sequences of T. equi available in the GenBank™, only 736 sequences of T. equi containing the complete V4 hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene (>207 bp) were used in multiple sequence alignment. Subsequently, a maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the Kimura 2-parameter model (K2+I). Results: The phylogenetic tree placed all the sequences into four distinct clades with high bootstrap values which were designated as T. equi clades/ genotypes A, B, C and D. Our results indicated that the genotype B of Nagore et al. and genotype E of Qablan et al. together formed the clade B with a high bootstrap value (95%). Furthermore, all the genotypes probably originated from clade B, which was the most dominant genotype (52.85%) followed by clades A (27.58%), and C (9.78%) and D (9.78%). Genotype C manifested a comparatively higher genetic diversity (91.0-100% identity) followed by genotypes A (93.2-99.5%), and B and D (95.7-100%). The alignment report of the consensus nucleotide sequences of the V4 hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene of four T. equi genotypes (A-D) revealed significant variations in one region, between nucleotide positions 113-183, and 41 molecular signatures were recognized. As far as geographical distribution is concerned, genotypes A and C exhibited far-extending geographical distribution involving 31 and 13 countries of the Asian, African, European, North American and South American continents, respectively. On the contrary, the genotypes B and D exemplified limited distribution with confinement to 21 and 12 countries of Asian, African and European continents, respectively. Interestingly, genotypes A and C have been reported from only two continents, viz., North and South America. It was observed that genotypes A and C, and B and D exhibit similar geographical distribution. Discussion: The present study indicated the presence of only four previously described T. equi genotypes (A, B, C and D) after performing the molecular analyses of all available sequences of the complete V4 hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene of T. equi isolates in the GenBank™.

The complete chloroplast genome of Hemiboea pterocaulis (Gesneriaceae) exclusively distributed in Guilin, Guangxi, China.

Hemiboea pterocaulis is a unique species only found in Guilin, Guangxi, China. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genome of H. pterocaulis and revealed its phylogenetic relationship with other Hemiboea species. The chloroplast genome sequence of H. pterocaulis is 153,159 bp in length and comprises a large single-copy (LSC) region of 84,178 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,087 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions, each with a length of 25,447 bp. It has a total GC content of 37.6% and encodes 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The phylogenetic relationships based on the complete chloroplast genome sequences of Hemiboea taxa indicate that H. pterocaulis is most closely related to H. suiyangensis, indicating that H. pterocaulis is an independent species and is separated from the H. subcapitata complex. These results provide valuable insights into the phylogeny, species divergence, and delimitation of the Hemiboea genus.

The use of the internal transcribed spacer region for phylogenetic analysis of the microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei infecting whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) and for the development of a nested PCR as its diagnostic tool.

The increasing economic losses associated with growth retardation caused by Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP), a microsporidian parasite infecting penaeid shrimp, require effective monitoring. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-1 region, the non-coding region of ribosomal clusters between 18S and 5.8S rRNA genes, is widely used in phylogenetic studies due to its high variability. In this study, the ITS-1 region sequence (~600-bp) of EHP was first identified, and primers for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting that sequence were designed. A newly developed nested-PCR method successfully detected the EHP in various shrimp (Penaeus vannamei and P. monodon) and related samples, including water and feces collected from Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, India, and Malaysia. The primers did not cross-react with other hosts and pathogens, and this PCR assay is more sensitive than existing PCR detection methods targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) and spore wall protein (SWP) genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS-1 sequences indicated that the Indonesian strain was distinct (86.2%) from other strains collected from Thailand and South Korea, and also showed the internal diversity among Thailand (N = 7, divided into four branches) and South Korean (N = 5, divided into two branches) samples. The results revealed the ability of the ITS-1 region to determine the genetic diversity of EHP from different geographical origins.

Ecological drivers of flower-leaf sequences: aridity and proxies for pollinator attraction select for flowering-first in the American plums.

Across temperate forests, many tree species produce flowers before their leaves emerge. This flower-leaf phenological sequence, known as hysteranthy, is generally described as an adaptation for wind pollination. However, this explanation does not address why hysteranthy is also common in biotically pollinated taxa. We quantified flower-leaf sequence variation in the American plums (Prunus, subg. Prunus sect. Prunocerasus), a clade of insect-pollinated trees, using herbaria specimens and Bayesian hierarchical modeling. We tested two common, but rarely interrogated hypotheses - that hysteranthy confers aridity tolerance and/or pollinator visibility - by modeling the associations between hysteranthy and related traits. To understand how these phenology-trait associations were sensitive to taxonomic scale and flower-leaf sequence classification, we then extended these analyses to all Prunus species in North America. Our findings across two taxonomic levels support the hypotheses that hysteranthy may help temporally partition hydraulic demand to reduce water stress and increase pollinator visibility - thereby reducing selective pressure on inflorescence size. Our results provide foundational insights into the evolution of flower-leaf sequences in the genus Prunus, with implications for understanding these patterns in biotically pollinated plants in general. Our approach suggests a path to advance these hypotheses to other clades, but teasing out drivers fully will require new experiments.

Evolutionary dynamics of the cytoskeletal profilin gene family in Brassica juncea L. reveal its roles in silique development and stress resilience.

Essential to plant adaptation, cell wall (CW) integrity is maintained by CW-biosynthesis genes. Cytoskeletal actin-(de)polymerizing, phospholipid-binding profilin (PRF) proteins play important roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis across kingdoms. However, evolutionary selection of PRF genes and their systematic characterization in family Brassicaceae, especially in Brassica juncea remain unexplored. Here, a comprehensive analysis of genome-wide identification of BjPRFs, their phylogenetic association, genomic localization, gene structure, and transcriptional profiling were performed in an evolutionary framework. Identification of 23 BjPRFs in B. juncea indicated an evolutionary conservation within Brassicaceae. The BjPRFs evolved through paralogous and orthologous gene formation in Brassica genomes. Evolutionary divergence of BjPRFs indicated purifying selection, with nonsynonymous (dN)/synonymous (dS) value of 0.090 for orthologous gene-pairs. Hybrid homology-modeling identified evolutionary distinct and conserved domains in BjPRFs which suggested that these proteins evolved following the divergence of monocot and eudicot plants. RNA-seq profiles of BjPRFs revealed their functional evolution in spatiotemporal manner during plant-development and stress-conditions in diploid/amphidiploid Brassica species. Real-Time PCR experiments in seedling, vegetative, floral and silique tissues of B. juncea suggested their essential roles in systematic plant development. These observations underscore the expansion of BjPRFs in B. juncea, and offer valuable evolutionary insights for exploring cellular mechanisms, and stress resilience.

CGRWDL: alignment-free phylogeny reconstruction method for viruses based on chaos game representation weighted by dynamical language model.

Traditional alignment-based methods meet serious challenges in genome sequence comparison and phylogeny reconstruction due to their high computational complexity. Here, we propose a new alignment-free method to analyze the phylogenetic relationships (classification) among species. In our method, the dynamical language (DL) model and the chaos game representation (CGR) method are used to characterize the frequency information and the context information of k-mers in a sequence, respectively. Then for each DNA sequence or protein sequence in a dataset, our method converts the sequence into a feature vector that represents the sequence information based on CGR weighted by the DL model to infer phylogenetic relationships. We name our method CGRWDL. Its performance was tested on both DNA and protein sequences of 8 datasets of viruses to construct the phylogenetic trees. We compared the Robinson-Foulds (RF) distance between the phylogenetic tree constructed by CGRWDL and the reference tree by other advanced methods for each dataset. The results show that the phylogenetic trees constructed by CGRWDL can accurately classify the viruses, and the RF scores between the trees and the reference trees are smaller than that with other methods.

Six complete mitochondrial genomes of ground beetles from the Harpalinae and Carabinae (Coleoptera, Carabidae) with phylogenetic analysis based on mitogenomic data.

In this study, we employed high-throughput sequencing technology to determine the complete mitochondrial genomes of six ground beetles, encompassing five Harpalinae species and one Carabinae species. The sizes of mitochondrial genomes ranged from 15,334 to 16,972 bp, encompassing 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. Furthermore, each species was found to possess a putative control region. Combining with 65 published mitochondrial genome sequences of Carabidae as ingroups and four species from Trachypachidae, Gyrinidae and Dytiscidae as outgroups, we conducted phylogenetic analyses utilizing Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. Moreover, we reconstructed a species tree of Carabidae based on mitochondrial genome data using the coalescent-based species tree method (ASTRAL). The results revealed that the family Carabidae was not a monophyletic group. The subfamily Harpalinae was supported to be a monophyletic group in Maximum likelihood analysis. Although the subfamily Carabinae was found to be nonmonophyletic in the concatenation analyses under both Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference criteria, it was identified as a monophyletic group in the species tree analysis.

Hybridization, polyploidization, and morphological convergence make dozens of taxa into one chaotic genetic pool: a phylogenomic case of the Ficus erecta species complex (Moraceae).

The Ficus erecta complex, characterized by its morphological diversity and frequent interspecific overlap, shares pollinating fig wasps among several species. This attribute, coupled with its intricate phylogenetic relationships, establishes it as an exemplary model for studying speciation and evolutionary patterns. Extensive researches involving RADseq (Restriction-site associated DNA sequencing), complete chloroplast genome data, and flow cytometry methods were conducted, focusing on phylogenomic analysis, genetic structure, and ploidy detection within the complex. Significantly, the findings exposed a pronounced nuclear-cytoplasmic conflict. This evidence, together with genetic structure analysis, confirmed that hybridization within the complex is a frequent occurrence. The ploidy detection revealed widespread polyploidy, with certain species exhibiting multiple ploidy levels, including 2×, 3×, and 4×. Of particular note, only five species (F. abelii, F. erecta, F. formosana, F. tannoensis and F. vaccinioides) in the complex were proved to be monophyletic. Species such as F. gasparriniana, F. pandurata, and F. stenophylla were found to encompass multiple phylogenetically distinct lineages. This discovery, along with morphological comparisons, suggests a significant underestimation of species diversity within the complex. This study also identified F. tannoensis as an allopolyploid species originating from F. vaccinioide and F. erecta. Considering the integration of morphological, molecular systematics, and cytological evidences, it is proposed that the scope of the F. erecta complex should be expanded to the entire subsect. Frutescentiae. This would redefine the complex as a continuously evolving group comprising at least 33 taxa, characterized by blurred species boundaries, frequent hybridization and polyploidization, and ambiguous genetic differentiation.

Phylogeny of genera in Maleae (Rosaceae) based on chloroplast genome analysis.

In Rosaceae, the replacement of the traditional four-subfamily division (Amygdaloideae or Prunoideae, Maloideae, Rosoideae, and Spiraeoideae) by the three-subfamily division (Dryadoideae, Rosoideae, and Amygdaloideae), the circumscription, systematic position, and phylogeny of genera in Maleae need to be reconsidered. The study aimed to circumscribe Maleae, pinpoint its systematic position, and evaluate the status of all generally accepted genera in the tribe using complete chloroplast genome data. Results indicated that Maleae consisted of pome-bearing genera that belonged to Maloideae as well as four genera (Gillenia, Kageneckia, Lindleya, and Vauquelinia) that were formerly considered to be outside Maloideae. The tribe could be subdivided into four subtribes: Gilleniinae (Gillenia), Lindleyinae (Kageneckia and Lindleya), Vaugueliniinae (Vauquelinia), and Malinae (all other genera; the core Maleae). Among the 36 recognized genera, Aria, Docyniopsis, Chamaemespilus, and Mespilus were not considered distinct and more research is needed to determine the taxonomic status of Rhaphiolepis from Eriobotrya. Within the core Maleae, five groups were revealed, whereas Sorbus L. was split as its members belonged to different groups.

Porcine respiratory coronavirus genome sequences; comparisons and relationships to transmissible gastroenteritis viruses.

Porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) was initially detected in Europe, and later in the United States of America (US), in the 1980s. In this study we obtained and compared PRCV sequences from Europe and the US, and investigated how these are related to transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) sequences. The whole genome sequences of Danish (1/90-DK), Italian (PRCV15087/12 III NPTV Parma), and Belgian PRCV (91V44) strains are presented. These sequences were aligned with nine other PRCV sequences from Europe and the US, and 43 TGEV sequences. Following alignment of the PRCV sequences, it was apparent that multiple amino acid variations in the structural proteins were distinct between the European and US strains. The alignments were used to build phylogenetic trees to infer the evolutionary relationships between the strains. In these trees, the European PRCV strains clustered as a separate group, whereas the US strains of PRCV all clustered with TGEVs.

Wickerhamomyces corioli f.a., sp. nov., a novel yeast species discovered in two mushroom species.

Two yeast strains, designated as 19-39-3 and 19-40-2, obtained from the fruiting bodies of Trametes versicolor and Marasmius siccus collected in Yunwu Mountain Forest Park, PR China, have been identified as representing a novel asexual ascomycetous yeast species. From the results of phylogenetic analyses of the sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA, small subunit (SSU) rRNA and translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) genes, it was determined that these strains represent a member of the genus Wickerhamomyces, with Wickerhamomyces alni and Candida ulmi as the closest relatives. The novel species exhibited 6.6 and 6.7% differences in the D1/D2 domains compared with W. alni and C. ulmi, respectively. Additionally, distinct biochemical and physiological differences were observed between the novel species and its related counterparts. No sexual reproduction was observed in these strains, leading to the proposal of the name Wickerhamomyces corioli f.a., sp. nov. for this newly discovered species.

A review on recent taxonomic updates of gut bacteria associated with social bees, with a curated genomic reference database.

Honeybees and bumblebees play a crucial role as essential pollinators. The special gut microbiome of social bees is a key factor in determining the overall fitness and health of the host. Although bees harbor relatively simple microbial communities at the genus level, recent studies have unveiled significant genetic divergence and variations in gene content within each bacterial genus. However, a comprehensive and refined genomics-based taxonomic database specific to social bee gut microbiomes remains lacking. Here, we first provided an overview of the current knowledge on the distribution and function of social bee gut bacteria, as well as the factors that influence the gut population dynamics. We then consolidated all available genomes of the gut bacteria of social bees and refined the species-level taxonomy, by constructing a maximum-likelihood core genome phylogeny and calculating genome-wide pairwise average nucleotide identity. On the basis of the refined species taxonomy, we constructed a curated genomic reference database, named the bee gut microbe genome sequence database (BGM-GDb). To evaluate the species-profiling performance of the curated BGM-GDb, we retrieved a series of bee gut metagenomic data and inferred the species-level composition using metagenomic intra-species diversity analysis system (MIDAS), and then compared the results with those obtained from a prebuilt MIDAS database. We found that compared with the default database, the BGM-GDb excelled in aligned read counts and bacterial richness. Overall, this high-resolution and precise genomic reference database will facilitate research in understanding the gut community structure of social bees.

Whole-genome sequencing of clinical isolates from tuberculosis patients in India: real-world data indicates a high proportion of pre-XDR cases.

Treatment decisions for tuberculosis (TB) in the absence of full drug-susceptibility data can result in amplifying resistance and may compromise treatment outcomes. Genomics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) from clinical samples enables detection of drug resistance to multiple drugs. We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for 600 clinical samples from patients with tuberculosis to identify the drug-resistance profile and mutation spectrum. We documented the reasons reported by clinicians for referral. WGS identified a high proportion (51%) of pre-extensively drug-resistant (pre-XDR) cases followed by multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) (15.5%). This correlates with the primary reason for referral, as non-response to the first-line treatment (67%) and treatment failure or rifampicin resistance (14%). Multivariate analysis indicated that all young age groups (P < 0.05), male gender (P < 0.05), and Beijing strain (P < 0.01) were significant independent predictors of MDR-TB or MDR-TB+ [pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) and XDR-TB]. Ser315Thr (72.5%) in the inhA gene and Ser450Leu in the rpoB gene (65.5%) were the most prevalent mutations, as were resistance-conferring mutations to pyrazinamide (41%) and streptomycin (61.33%). Mutations outside the rifampicin resistance-determining region (RRDR), Ile491Phe and Val170Phe, were seen in 1.3% of cases; disputed mutations in rpoB (Asp435Tyr, His445Asn, His445Leu, and Leu430Pro) were seen in 6% of cases, and mutations to newer drugs such as bedaquiline and linezolid in 1.0% and 7.5% of cases, respectively. This study on clinical samples highlights that there is a high proportion of pre-XDR cases and emerging resistance to newer drugs; ongoing transmission of these strains can cause serious threat to public health; and whole-genome sequencing can effectively identify and support precision medicine for TB. IMPORTANCE: The current study is based on real-world data on the TB drug-resistance profile by whole-genome sequencing of 600 clinical samples from patients with TB in India. This study indicates the clinicians' reasons for sending samples for WGS, which is for difficult-to-treat cases and/or relapse and treatment failure. The study reports a significant proportion of cases with pre-XDR-TB strains that warrant policy makers' attention. It reflects the current iterative nature of the diagnostic tests under programmatic conditions that leads to delays in appropriate diagnosis and empirical treatment. India had an estimated burden of 2.95 million TB cases in 2020 and 135,000 multidrug-resistant cases. However, WGS profiles of M.tb from India remains disproportionately poorly represented. This study adds a significant body of data on the mutation profiles seen in M.tb isolated from patients with TB in India, mutations outside the RRDR, disputed mutations, and resistance-conferring mutations to newer drugs such as bedaquiline and linezolid.

Molecular epidemiology of anaplasmosis in Indian dromedary camels.

The present study aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology, risk factors, and haemato-biochemical changes in anaplasmosis in Indian dromedary camels. Blood samples collected from 103 camels were analysed using blood smear examination and semi-nested PCR based on the 16s rRNA gene to diagnose anaplasmosis. The prevalence of anaplasmosis was estimated to be 42.72% (95% CI: 33.59-52.37) by PCR assay and 16.5% (95% CI: 10.47-24.95%) by blood smear examination. Phylogenetic analysis of six partial sequences of 16s rRNA gene obtained in the present study indicated the involvement of multiple Anaplasma species, including A. marginale and A. platys, showing genetic similarity with cattle strains. A novel genotype related to A. camelii/A. cinensis/A. platys group was also identified. Hemato-biochemical examination revealed mild anaemia, increased serum urea nitrogen and creatinine levels, and decreased total protein and albumin levels in Anaplasma-positive animals. The infections were largely subclinical in nature, except in one camel that revealed fever, inappetence, and pale mucous membrane and responded well to treatment with oxytetracycline. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular study on camel anaplasmosis in India, indicating a high prevalence of infection and involvement of multiple Anaplasma species with potential risk for interspecies transmission.

Rostrupomyces, a new genus to accommodate Xerocomussisongkhramensis, and a new Hemileccinum species (Xerocomoideae, Boletaceae) from Thailand.

A new genus, Rostrupomyces is established to accommodate Xerocomussisongkhramensis based on multiple protein-coding genes (atp6, cox3, tef1, and rpb2) analyses of a wide taxon sampling of Boletaceae. In our phylogeny, the new genus was sister to Rubinosporus in subfamily Xerocomoideae, phylogenetically distant from Xerocomus, which was highly supported as sister to Phylloporus in the same subfamily Xerocomoideae. Rostrupomyces is different from other genera in Boletaceae by the following combination of characters: rugulose to subrugulose pileus surface, white pores when young becoming pale yellow in age, subscabrous stipe surface scattered with granulose squamules, white basal mycelium, unchanging color in any parts, yellowish brown spore print, and broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid, smooth basidiospores. In addition, Hemileccinuminferius, also from subfamily Xerocomoideae, is newly described. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new genus and new species are presented.

Corydalis sunhangii (Papaveraceae): A new species from Xizang, China, based on plastome and morphological data.

A new species of Papaveraceae, Corydalis sunhangii, in the section Trachycarpae, is described and illustrated from Nyingchi City, Xizang, China. The new species has some resemblance to Corydalis kingdonis, but differs by radical leaves prominent, usually several, blade tripinnate (vs. insignificant, few, blade bi- to triternate); cauline leaf usually one, much smaller than radical leaves, usually situated in lower half of stem (vs. usually two, larger than radical leaves, concentrated in upper third of stem); racemes densely 13-35-flowered (vs. rather lax, 4-11-flowered); claw of lower petal shallowly saccate (vs. very prominently and deeply saccate); capsule oblong, with raised lines of dense papillae (vs. broadly obovoid, smooth). Phylogenetic analysis, based on 68 protein-coding plastid genes of 49 samples, shows that C. sunhangii is not closely related to any hitherto described species, which is consistent with our morphological analysis.

Reexamination of Aspergillus cristatus phylogeny in dark tea: Characteristics of the mitochondrial genome.

To enhance our understanding of Aspergillus cristatus, an important functional microorganism, the characteristics of its mitochondrial genome were analyzed and compared with related species. The mitochondrial genome of A. cristatus was determined to be 77,649 bp in length, with 15 protein-coding regions. Notably, its length surpassed that of the other species, primarily attributable to the intron length. Gene order exhibited significant variations, with greater conservation observed in the genus Penicillium compared to Aspergillus. Phylogenetic tree analyses indicated that the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium are closely related but monophyletic. Furthermore, the phylogenetic tree constructed based on protein-coding genes effectively distinguished all strains with high branching confidence. This approach provides a robust reflection of the evolutionary relationship between A. cristatus and its related species, offering potential for the development of molecular markers suitable for Aspergillus and Penicillium.