Exon capture museomics deciphers the nine-banded armadillo species complex and identifies a new species endemic to the Guiana Shield.

The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is the most widespread xenarthran species across the Americas. Recent studies have suggested it is composed of four morphologically and genetically distinct lineages of uncertain taxonomic status. To address this issue, we used a museomic approach to sequence 80 complete mitogenomes and capture 997 nuclear loci for 71 Dasypus individuals sampled across the entire distribution. We carefully cleaned up potential genotyping errors and cross contaminations that could blur species boundaries by mimicking gene flow. Our results unambiguously support four distinct lineages within the D. novemcinctus complex. We found cases of mito-nuclear phylogenetic discordance but only limited contemporary gene flow confined to the margins of the lineage distributions. All available evidence including the restricted gene flow, phylogenetic reconstructions based on both mitogenomes and nuclear loci, and phylogenetic delimitation methods consistently supported the four lineages within D. novemcinctus as four distinct species. Comparable genetic differentiation values to other recognized Dasypus species further reinforced their status as valid species. Considering congruent morphological results from previous studies, we provide an integrative taxonomic view to recognise four species within the D. novemcinctus complex: D. novemcinctus, D. fenestratus, D. mexicanus, and D. guianensis sp. nov., a new species endemic of the Guiana Shield that we describe here. The two available individuals of D. mazzai and D. sabanicola were consistently nested within D. novemcinctus lineage and their status remains to be assessed. The present work offers a case study illustrating the power of museomics to reveal cryptic species diversity within a widely distributed and emblematic species of mammals.

Endophytic species of Nigrospora from grasses and shrubs of Shadegan International Wetland, with new species and records from Iran.

The "Shadegan International Wetland" (SIW) is one of the wetlands internationally recognized in the Ramsar convention. The vegetation of this wetland ecosystem consists of mostly grasses and shrubs that host a large number of fungi including endophytes. In this study, Nigrospora isolates were obtained from healthy plants of this wetland and its surrounding salt marshes and identified based on morphological features and multilocus phylogenetic analyses based on three DNA loci, namely the internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 including the intervening 5.8S nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS), ß-tubulin (tub2), and elongation factor 1-α (tef1-α). Accordingly, the following Nigrospora species were identified: N. lacticolonia, N. oryzae, N. osmanthi, N. pernambucoensis and a novel taxon N. shadeganensis sp. nov., which is described and illustrated. To the best of our knowledge, 10 new hosts for Nigrospora species are here reported, namely Aeluropus lagopoides, Allenrolfea occidentalis, Anthoxanthum monticola, Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Cressa cretica, Halocnemum strobilaceum, Seidlitzia rosmarinus, Suaeda vermiculata, Tamarix passerinoides, and Typha latifolia. Moreover, the species N. lacticolonia and N. pernambucoensis are new records for the mycobiota of Iran.

Colletotrichum nanjingense sp. nov. and C. gloeosporioides s.s. Causing Leaf Tip Blight on Jasminum mesnyi in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.

Jasminum mesnyi Hance is an important medicinal and ornamental plant. This species is native to South Central China and Vietnam and grows primarily in the subtropical biomes. In June 2022, 17 Colletotrichum strains were isolated from leaf tip blight on foliage of J. mesnyi in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. Based on morphological characteristics and multilocus phylogenetic analyses of six genomic loci (ITS, CAL, ACT, TUB2, CHS-1, and GAPDH), a new species, namely, C. nanjingense, and a known species, namely, C. gloeosporioides s.s., were described and reported. Pathogenicity tests revealed that both species were pathogens causing leaf tip blight on J. mesnyi. The results provided necessary information for disease control and enhanced our understanding of the diversity of Colletotrichum species in China.

Rhexocercosporidium matricariae sp. nov.: A New Pathogen on the Medicinal Plant Matricaria recutita.

A new disease was observed on chamomile plants (Matricaria recutita) in various commercially cultivated fields in 2016 and 2017 in Germany. From symptomatic stems and leaves, the fungal species described here was isolated repeatedly. Koch's postulates using in planta experiments were fulfilled by inoculation of chamomile plants proving the fungus to be the causal agent of the disease. Morphological studies and phylogenetic analyses using internal transcribed spacer, large subunit, and translation elongation factor-1α sequences suggested that the fungus represents a new species within the genus Rhexocercosporidium (Helotiales). The data are presented together with a description of the growth parameters and comprehensive illustrations of the new species, Rhexocercosporidium matricariae. All species so far assigned to Rhexocercosporidium are compared and discussed. The combination Rhexocercosporidium microsporum is validated.

Revisiting phylogeny, systematics, and biogeography of a Pleistocene radiation.

PREMISE: Pilosocereus (Cactaceae) is an important dry forest element in all subregions and transitional zones of the neotropics, with the highest diversity in eastern Brazil. The genus is subdivided into informal taxonomic groups; however, most of these are not supported by recent molecular phylogenetic inferences. This lack of confidence is probably due to the use of an insufficient number of loci and the complexity of cactus diversification. Here, we explored the species relationships in Pilosocereus in more detail, integrating multilocus phylogenetic approaches with the assessment of the ancestral range and the effect of geography on diversification shifts. METHODS: We used 28 nuclear, plastid, and mitochondrial loci from 54 plant samples of 31 Pilosocereus species for phylogenetic analyses. We used concatenated and coalescent phylogenetic trees and Bayesian models to estimate the most likely ancestral range and diversification shifts. RESULTS: All Pilosocereus species were clustered in the same branch, except P. bohlei. The phylogenetic relationships were more associated with the geographic distribution than taxonomic affinities among taxa. The genus began diversifying during the Plio-Pleistocene transition in the Caatinga domain and experienced an increased diversification rate during the Calabrian age. CONCLUSIONS: We recovered a well-supported multispecies coalescent phylogeny. Our results refine the pattern of rapid diversification of Pilosocereus species across neotropical drylands during the Pleistocene and highlight the need for taxonomic rearrangements in the genus. We recovered a pulse of diversification during the Pleistocene that was likely driven by multiple dispersal and vicariance events within and among the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest domains.

Phytophthora : taxonomic and phylogenetic revision of the genus.

Many members of the Oomycota genus Phytophthora cause economic and environmental impact diseases in nurseries, horticulture, forest, and natural ecosystems and many are of regulatory concern around the world. At present, there are 223 described species, including eight unculturable and three lost species. Twenty-eight species need to be redescribed or validated. A lectotype, epitype or neotype was selected for 20 species, and a redescription based on the morphological/molecular characters and phylogenetic placement is provided. In addition, the names of five species are validated: P. cajani, P. honggalleglyana (Synonym: P. hydropathica), P. megakarya, P. pisi and P. pseudopolonica for which morphology and phylogeny are given. Two species, P. ×multiformis and P. uniformis are presented as new combinations. Phytophthora palmivora is treated with a representative strain as both lecto- and epitypification are pending. This manuscript provides the updated multigene phylogeny and molecular toolbox with seven genes (ITS rDNA, ß-tub, COI, EF1α, HSP90, L10, and YPT1) generated from the type specimens of 212 validly published, and culturable species (including nine hybrid taxa). The genome information of 23 types published to date is also included. Several aspects of the taxonomic revision and phylogenetic re-evaluation of the genus including species concepts, concept and position of the phylogenetic clades recognized within Phytophthora are discussed. Some of the contents of this manuscript, including factsheets for the 212 species, are associated with the "IDphy: molecular and morphological identification of Phytophthora based on the types" online resource (https://idtools.org/tools/1056/index.cfm). The first version of the IDphy online resource released to the public in September 2019 contained 161 species. In conjunction with this publication, we are updating the IDphy online resource to version 2 to include the 51 species recently described. The current status of the 223 described species is provided along with information on type specimens with details of the host (substrate), location, year of collection and publications. Additional information is provided regarding the ex-type culture(s) for the 212 valid culturable species and the diagnostic molecular toolbox with seven genes that includes the two metabarcoding genes (ITS and COI) that are important for Sanger sequencing and also very valuable Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTU) for second and third generation metabarcoding High-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies. The IDphy online resource will continue to be updated annually to include new descriptions. This manuscript in conjunction with IDphy represents a monographic study and the most updated revision of the taxonomy and phylogeny of Phytophthora, widely considered one of the most important genera of plant pathogens. Taxonomic novelties: New species: Phytophthora cajani K.S. Amin, Baldev & F.J. Williams ex Abad, Phytophthora honggalleglyana Abad, Phytophthora megakarya Brasier & M.J. Griffin ex Abad, Phytophthora pisi Heyman ex Abad, Phytophthora pseudopolonica W.W. Li, W.X. Huai & W.X. Zhao ex Abad & Kasiborski; New combinations: Phytophthora ×multiformis (Brasier & S.A. Kirk) Abad, Phytophthora uniformis (Brasier & S.A. Kirk) Abad; Epitypifications (basionyms): Peronospora cactorum Lebert & Cohn, Pythiacystis citrophthora R.E. Sm. & E.H. Sm., Phytophthora colocasiae Racib., Phytophthora drechsleri Tucker, Phytophthora erythroseptica Pethybr., Phytophthora fragariae Hickman, Phytophthora hibernalis Carne, Phytophthora ilicis Buddenh. & Roy A. Young, Phytophthora inundata Brasier et al., Phytophthora megasperma Drechsler, Phytophthora mexicana Hotson & Hartge, Phytophthora nicotianae Breda de Haan, Phytophthora phaseoli Thaxt., Phytophthora porri Foister, Phytophthora primulae J.A. Toml., Phytophthora sojae Kaufm. & Gerd., Phytophthora vignae Purss, Pythiomorpha gonapodyides H.E. Petersen; Lectotypifications (basionym): Peronospora cactorum Lebert & Cohn, Pythiacystis citrophthora R.E. Sm. & E.H. Sm., Phytophthora colocasiae Racib., Phytophthora drechsleri Tucker, Phytophthora erythroseptica Pethybr., Phytophthora fragariae Hickman, Phytophthora hibernalis Carne, Phytophthora ilicis Buddenh. & Roy A. Young, Phytophthora megasperma Drechsler, Phytophthora mexicana Hotson & Hartge, Phytophthora nicotianae Breda de Haan, Phytophthora phaseoli Thaxt., Phytophthora porri Foister, Phytophthora primulae J.A. Toml., Phytophthora sojae Kaufm. & Gerd., Phytophthora vignae Purss, Pythiomorpha gonapodyides H.E. Petersen; Neotypifications (basionym): Phloeophthora syringae Kleb., Phytophthora meadii McRae Citation: Abad ZG, Burgess TI, Bourret T, Bensch K, Cacciola S, Scanu B, Mathew R, Kasiborski B, Srivastava S, Kageyama K, Bienapfl JC, Verkleij G, Broders K, Schena L, Redford AJ (2023). Phytophthora: taxonomic and phylogenetic revision of the genus. Studies in Mycology 106: 259-348. doi: 10.3114/sim.2023.106.05.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Lasiodiplodia theobromae associated with leaf spot and blight disease of Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn.) Colebr.-a new host record from India.

Coscinium fenestratum is a medicinally significant critically endangered plant found in Western Ghats of India. The leaf spot and blight was observed in Kerala during 2021 with disease incidence of 40% in 20 assessed plants in 0.6 hectare. The associated fungus was isolated on potato dextrose agar medium. A total of six morpho-culturally identical isolates were isolated and morphologically identified. Based on morpho-cultural features, the fungus was identified at genus level as Lasiodiplodia sp., which was further authentically confirmed as Lasiodiplodia theobromae by molecular identification with a representative isolate (KFRIMCC 089) using multigene (ITS, LSU, SSU, TEF1-α, and TUB2) sequence analysis and concatenated phylogenetic analysis (ITS-TEF1-α-TUB2). Pathogenicity tests were also assessed in vitro and in vivo using mycelial disc and spore suspension of L. theobromae, and the isolated fungus's pathogenic behaviour was confirmed after re-isolation and morpho-cultural features. Literature survey reveals that there are no reports of L. theobromae on C. fenestratum from all over the world. Hence, C. fenestratum is being firstly reported as a new host record for L. theobromae from India.

Akanthomyces diversity in Brazil and their pathogenicity to plant-sucking insects.

Currently, species within the genus Akanthomyces are poorly studied and explored compared to other hypocrealean entomopathogenic fungi employed as commercial biocontrol agents. This study aimed to molecularly identify 23 Brazilian Akanthomyces strains, most originally isolated from aphids and scales (n = 22), and one from the coffee leaf rust, and further investigate their pathogenicity to six plant-sucking insects as a means to better understand their host spectra. We also explored the capacity of A. muscarius CG935 for blastospore production via liquid fermentation. Akanthomyces dipterigenus, A. muscarius, A. lecanii, and two unidentified species were recognized as naturally occurring in Brazil. Akanthomyces dipterigenus CG829 and A. muscarius CG935 were highly virulent to nymphs of Bemisia tabaci (67.5-85.4% confirmed mortality) and the aphid Aphis fabae (74.6-75.3%), but only the first strain was virulent to the mealybug Planococcus sp. (80.9%). Akanthomyces lecanii CG824 was weakly virulent to all tested insects. None of the strains were pathogenic to the thrips Caliothrips phaseoli, and all strains showed low virulence to the wooly whitefly Aleurothrixus floccosus and the scale Duplachionaspis divergens. Submerged liquid fermentation yields varied from 1.72 × 109 (day 2) to 3.90 × 109 (day 5) blastospores mL-1. Blastospores or aerial conidia from A. muscarius CG935, at a single concentration of 1 × 107 viable propagules mL-1, resulted in 67.5-83.1% mortality of B. tabaci nymphs within 8 days post-treatment. Overall, these results encourage additional studies that could lead to the development of new mycopesticides based on Akanthomyces strains.

First report of jujube anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum siamense in China.

Jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill.), a native small deciduous tree of China, is widely cultivated in China, Korea, India, Japan, Europe, and the United States (Chen et al. 2020). The fruit have been commonly consumed as healthy food supplements and traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years (Li et al. 2007). In August 2019, anthracnose-like leaf spot symptoms were observed on jujube plants in Xiaomenya Village, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China (36°27'39″N, 117°3'13″E), with over 30% leaf disease incidence. The spots were circular, sunken, brown in the center and with dark brown edges. As the spots enlarged and coalesced, it resulted in leaf perforation and early defoliation. Sometimes acervuli were observed on the lesions (Fig. S1a, b). To identify the causal agent, 20 diseased leaves were sampled, the margins of the lesions were cut into pieces (5 × 5 mm), sterilized and cultured following the protocol described previously (Wan et al. 2020) at 25 ℃ for 5 days. Twelve monospore isolates showing identical colony morphology were obtained. Three representative isolates, JNZG11, JNZG311, JNZG313, were used for further study. When grown on PDA the colony color was initially white and then turned pale-gray to gray in 5-day-old cultures. On the reverse, colonies were brown-black with an orange pigmentation near the center. Aerial mycelium was cottony, dense, white to pale-gray. Conidia were hyaline, 1-celled, smooth-walled, subcylindrical, oblong, attenuated with slightly rounded ends, (11.1-) 12.7-13.3 (-17.8) ×(-4.4) 5.2-5.5 (-6.3) µm (n=50). Appressoria were dark-brown, oval or irregular, (7.3-) 8.6-9.2 (-9.8) ×(-5.1) 5.8-6.9 (-7.0) µm (n=50) (Fig. S1c-g). The morphology resembled those of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex (Cannon et al. 2012). For accurate identification, the sequences of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS), actin (ACT), ß-tub2 (TUB2), calmodulin (CAL), chitin synthase (CHS-1), and glyceraldehyde-3phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) of the 3 isolates were sequenced (Weir et al. 2012), and deposited into GenBank (Accession Nos. see Table 1). The six loci (ITS, GAPDH, ACT, CHS-1, CAL, and TUB2) were concatenated and the aligned sequences (1904 bp) were 99.7% homologous to ex-type C. siamense ICMP18578. The sequences of 38 Colletotrichum species (44 isolates) were downloaded from GenBank for phylogenetic analyses. In the maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree generated, the highest log likelihood was -8798.90 and the three isolates were all in the C. siamense clade (bootstrap support 94 %) (Fig. S2). To complete Koch's postulates, 60 healthy, mature jujube leaves on 12 branches (5 leaves per branch) (variety 'Zhongqiuhong') were inoculated with 20 µL of spore suspension (106 conidia/mL) or sterile water as a control. The branches were placed in sterile beakers containing a small amount of sterile water sealed with plastic wrap and maintained at 28 °C, 12 h light/dark. Five days after inoculation, all treated leaves showed the typical anthracnose symptom, similar to that observed in the field (Fig. S1h). The same fungus was re-isolated from the margins of the lesions using the aforementioned methods. Whereas no fungus were isolated from the controls. Previously, C. siamense has been reported to infect Z. mauritiana in China (Shu et al. 2020). To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. siamense causing anthracnose on Z. jujuba in China. This finding provides crucial information for the effective management of this disease.

Stenocarpella chrysopogonis, a New Species Causing Leaf Streak Disease of Chrysopogon zizanioides in Southern China.

Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) has been widely used in recent years for ecological environment management, restoration of degraded ecosystems, and essential oil extraction. In 2019, a leaf streak disease of C. zizanioides was observed in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China. The disease appeared as large streak lesions on the leaves, on which conidiomata were formed. A pathogenicity test with the fungus isolated from these lesions confirmed Koch's postulates and thus the fungus as the causal agent of this disease. A morphological resemblance of the pathogen to Stenocarpella was noted upon microscopic examination. Phylogenetic trees inferred from both individual and combined ITS, LSU, and tef1 sequences confirmed the pathogen as a species of the Diaporthaceae and revealed it to be closely related to Phaeocytostroma and Stenocarpella species. As morphological characters clearly placed the pathogen in the genus Stenocarpella, it was described as S. chrysopogonis.

Cryptic species in a colorful genus: Integrative taxonomy of the bush robins (Aves, Muscicapidae, Tarsiger) suggests two overlooked species.

Several cryptic avian species have been validated by recent integrative taxonomic efforts in the Sino-Himalayan mountains, indicating that avian diversity in this global biodiversity hotspot may be underestimated. In the present study, we investigated species limits in the genus Tarsiger, the bush robins, a group of montane forest specialists with high species richness in the Sino-Himalayan region. Based on comprehensive sampling of all 11 subspecies of the six currently recognized species, we applied an integrative taxonomic approach by combining multilocus, acoustic, plumage and morphometric analyses. Our results reveal that the isolated north-central Chinese populations of Tarsiger cyanurus, described as the subspecies albocoeruleus but usually considered invalid, is distinctive in genetics and vocalisation, but only marginally differentiated in morphology. We also found the Taiwan endemic T. indicus formosanus to be distinctive in genetics, song and morphology from T. i. indicus and T. i. yunnanensis of the Sino-Himalayan mountains. Moreover, Bayesian species delimitation using BPP suggests that both albocoeruleus and formosanus merit full species status. We propose their treatment as 'Qilian Bluetail' T. albocoeruleus and 'Taiwan Bush Robin' T. formosanus, respectively.

Alternaria koreana sp. nov., a new pathogen isolated from leaf spot of ovate-leaf Atractylodes in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: A new species within the genus Alternaria was isolated from the leaf spot of Atractylodes ovata in the Mungyeong and Hwabuk-myeon districts of the Gyeongbuk province of Korea. The leaves showed disease symptoms such as circular or irregular leaf spots and brown to dark brown with gray spots at the center. The leaves also showed that concentric rings were surrounded with yellow halos. METHODS AND RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using the sequence dataset of the internal transcribed spacer region and part of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The RNA polymerase II second largest subunit, endopolygalacturonase, Alternaria major allergen gene, anonymous gene region, and translation elongation factor 1-alpha genes were used as well. Results showed that present fungal isolates were distinct from other species of the sect. Alternaria. Morphologically, the present isolates also differed from other members of the sect. Alternaria in their production of solitary conidia or conidial chains (two units) and conidial body features. Similarly, it exhibited moderate pathogenicity in the host plant. CONCLUSIONS: This study described and illustrated A. koreana as a new species and the causal agent of the leaf-spot disease on A. ovata in Korea.

Morphological and molecular characteristics of fungal species associated with crown rot of strawberry in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: Crown and root rot is the most important and destructive strawberry diseases in Korea as it causes substantial economic loss. In August 2020, a severe outbreak of crown and root rot on strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) was observed in the greenhouse at Sangju, South Korea. Infected plantlets displayed browning rot within the crown and root, stunted growth, and poor rooting. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty fungal isolates were obtained from the affected plantlet. Isolates were identified based on morphological characteristics and pathogenicity test as well as sequence data obtained from internal transcribed spacer, large subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid, translation elongation factor, and RNA polymerase II-second largest subunit. Results showed that the crown and root rot of strawberry in Korea was caused by three distinct fungal species: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae, F. solani, and Plectosphaerella cucumerina. To the best of our knowledge, F. solani, and P. cucumerina are reported for the first time as the causal agents of the crown and root rot of strawberry in South Korea. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that these isolates are pathogenic to strawberry. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the composition and biology of the pathogen population will be helpful to provide effective control strategies for the disease.

Diaporthe sapindicola sp. nov. Causes Leaf Spots of Sapindus mukorossi in China.

Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn. (Sapindaceae), or soapberry, is an important biodiesel tree in southern China. In recent years, leaf spot disease on soapberry has been observed frequently in a soapberry germplasm repository in Jianning County, Sanming City, Fujian province, China. The symptoms initially appeared as irregular, small, yellow spots, and the centers of the lesions became dark brown with time. Three fungal isolates from lesions were collected. Koch's postulates were performed, and their pathogenicity was confirmed. Morphologically, α-conidia from diseased tissues were single-celled, hyaline, smooth, clavate or ellipsoidal, and biguttulate, measuring 6.2 to 7.2 × 2.3 to 2.7 µm. In addition, the three isolates in this study developed three types (α, ß, and γ) of conidia on potato dextrose agar, and their morphological characteristics matched those of Diaporthe. A phylogenetic analysis based on internal transcribed spacer, TEF, TUB, HIS, and CAL sequence data determined that the three isolates are a new species of Diaporthe. Based on both morphological and phylogenetic analyses, the causal fungus, Diaporthe sapindicola sp. nov., was described and illustrated.

Molecular Studies of Relationships and Identifications Among Insects of the Subfamily Panchaetothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae).

The Panchaetothripinae comprises 42 genera and 146 species of leaf-feeding thrips, some of which are horticultural pests. We examined representatives of the 18 genera that include most of these pests. For species delimitation, we used DNA barcoding to produce171 sequences for 40 morphospecies. Most species were found to be monophyletic, although cryptic diversity was evident in 8 presumptive species. A multilocus molecular phylogenetic assessment was based on one mitochondrial (COI) and three nuclear loci (EF-1α, ITS2, and 28S) from 132 specimens (18 genera and 33 species), representing all genera and ~82% of species in China. Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) confirmed monophyly of each genus with strong support. Monophyly of tribes Panchaetothripini and Monilothripini were refuted, but the well supported tribe Tryphactothripini was confirmed. Rhipiphorothrips was recovered as a sister to the remainder of the genera of Panchaetothripinae combined. Both analyses revealed two major clades. Clade A comprised the majority of the genera, including tribe Tryphactothripini. Clade B included only four genera of which two, Helionothrips and Caliothrips, are particularly species rich. The relationships of some genera remain unresolved.

African lates perches (Teleostei, Latidae, Lates): Paraphyly of Nile perch and recent colonization of Lake Tanganyika.

Lates perches of the genus Lates (Latidae) are large piscivorous fishes, with a strikingly disjunct distribution range in coastal areas and estuaries of the Indo-Pacific region and in some large African freshwater systems. Previous phylogenetic hypotheses based on osteological and ontogenetic data suggested paraphyly of the African representatives, or even the small Lake Tanganyika species assemblage, with respect to the remaining Lates species. Based on a multilocus phylogeny, however, we show that extant African lates perches are monophyletic. The Nile perch, L. niloticus, which is widely distributed in the Nilo-Sudan region and Central Africa, comprises three distinct lineages and is paraphyletic with respect to the four endemic Lake Tanganyika species. We find that diversification of extant African Lates happened only as recently as the Pliocene. With the extensive, in part much older fossil record, this suggests repeated extinction and (re-)colonization of hydrological systems. We further find that Lates started to diversify in Lake Tanganyika only in the Pleistocene, which is much more recent than other fish radiations endemic to Lake Tanganyika, implying that they radiated in the presence of other top predators already in this ecosystem.

Evolutionary history of the Pelasgus minnows (Teleostei: Leuciscidae), an ancient endemic genus from the Balkan Peninsula.

The Balkans are one of the European biodiversity hotspots, hosting outstandingly rich, yet threatened, flora and fauna. This region hosts one of the richest endemic freshwater ichthyofauna in Europe, including several genera occurring exclusively here. One of these is the genus of the primary freshwater minnows Pelasgus, which was designated only in 2007. The genus is one of the most ancient genera of the family Leuciscidae and comprises seven small-bodied species, inhabiting slower, well-vegetated courses of rivers. This work is the first molecular multilocus phylogeny of the genus, based on one mitochondrial and three nuclear markers. In total, 305 individuals across almost entire distribution range of the genus were analysed. We inferred the evolutionary history of the species by comparing the results of our calibrated multilocus coalescent species-tree to palaeogeological events. The diversification of the genus started in the early Miocene and continued through to the beginning of Pleistocene. We identified the regions of the oldest colonization by Pelasgus, the drainages of the ancient lakes Ohrid and Prespa, and the southernmost part of the Peloponnese, hosting Pelasgus minutus, P. prespensis and P. laconicus, respectively. We showed that P. prespensis is not endemic to Lake Prespa, as previously thought; it occurs also in the Albanian River Devoll. This corroborates the emerging opinion that the endemic taxa of ancient lakes evolved within larger-scale historic drainages and not only within the lakes. Our results showed that the species with the most recent common ancestor of the early Pliocene origin, P. thesproticus, P. epiroticus, P. stymphalicus and P. marathonicus, have neighbouring distribution ranges. Pelasgus epiroticus is especially interesting, not only for its pronounced genetic diversity with a geographic pattern, but also for being found at three localities within the native distribution range of P. stymphalicus as a result of a translocation. At two of these localities, we identified hybrids between the two species, and at one of them, the genetically pure native species was not found at all. This points to a threat of the loss of the native ichthyofauna due to unintentional translocations.

Type specimen sequencing, multilocus analyses, and species delimitation methods recognize the cosmopolitan Corallina berteroi and establish the northern Japanese C. yendoi sp. nov. (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta).

A partial rbcL sequence of the lectotype specimen of Corallina berteroi shows that it is the earliest available name for C. ferreyrae. Multilocus species delimitation analyses (ABGD, SPN, GMYC, bPTP, and BPP) using independent or concatenated COI, psbA, and rbcL sequences recognized one, two, or three species in this complex, but only with weak support for each species hypothesis. Conservatively, we recognize a single worldwide species in this complex of what appears to be multiple, evolving populations. Included in this species, besides C. ferreyrae, are C. caespitosa, the morphologically distinct C. melobesioides, and, based on a partial rbcL sequence of the holotype specimen, C. pinnatifolia. Corallina berteroi, not C. officinalis, is the cosmopolitan temperate species found thus far in the NE Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, warm temperate NW Atlantic and NE Pacific, cold temperate SW Atlantic (Falkland Islands), cold and warm temperate SE Pacific, NW Pacific and southern Australia. Also proposed is C. yendoi sp. nov. from Hokkaido, Japan, which was recognized as distinct by 10 of the 13 species discrimination analyses, including the multilocus BPP.

Three Mycogone Species, Including a New Species, Cause Wet Bubble Disease of Agaricus bisporus in China.

White button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach, is the most extensively cultivated and edible mushroom worldwide. The production of A. bisporus is commonly affected by wet bubble disease (WBD), imposing a significant economic burden in China. Although studies have shown that this disease is caused by fungi of the Mycogone genus, the pathogen has not been fully characterized. In this study, 802 samples of diseased fruiting bodies of A. bisporus were collected from nine major mushroom-cultivating provinces in China, yielding a total of 586 Mycogone isolates. The morphologic characteristics of these isolates were observed and compared, and multilocus phylogenetic analyses (internal transcribed spacer [ITS], ACT, TEF1-α, TUB, RPB2, and large ribosomal subunit [LSU]) were performed on the selected representative isolates. Three Mycogone species were identified: a new species, M. xinjiangensis; M. perniciosa; and M. rosea. Mycogone rosea was the first ever reported in China. Furthermore, M. rosea was found to be the most prevalent species (54.95% of all isolates) in all the sampled areas, except in Hubei and Xinjiang, followed by M. perniciosa (39.93%) and M. xinjiangensis (5.12%). Pathogenicity tests on the fruiting body and mushroom bed substantiated Koch's postulates by the development of mildly different symptoms after inoculation with each species. This study, therefore, enhances our knowledge of the species associated with WBD in A. bisporus and provides useful insights for preventing WBD and allied diseases.

Multilocus data reveal deep phylogenetic relationships and intercontinental biogeography of the Eurasian-North American genus Corylus (Betulaceae).

The evolutionary history of the genus Corylus, a tertiary disjunct lineage consisting of approximately 15-20 taxa with New and Old World distribution, has not been fully studied using molecular tools. In this research, we reconstructed comprehensive phylogenies of this genus using multiple datasets (genome-wide SNPs; complete chloroplast genomes; and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences) based on detailed sampling of 17 Corylus species currently recognized. Divergence times were estimated using a fossil calibrated relaxed clock model, and ancestral area reconstruction were inferred using Bayesian binary MCMC (BBM) method and the dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis (DEC) model. Phylogenetic incongruences were detected from datasets, with nuclear SNP and ITS phylogenies supporting four major clades that correspond well with morphological traits, while chloroplast phylogeny revealed geographic partitioning. Recombination and introgressive hybridization played important roles in Corylus diversification. Molecular dating and biogeographical analyses unambiguously revealed that Corylus originated in Southwest China during the middle Eocene. The westward migration of Phyllochlamys (Clade C) and Colurnae (Clade D) and the uplift of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau drove the formation of European taxa, whereas the transoccanic migration crossing the Bering Land Bridge of Siphonochlamys (Clade B) and Phyllochlamys (Clade C) led to the occurrence of North American taxa. The topographic heterogeneity and climatic oscillations from Miocene to Pleistocene made East Asia the diversity center for Corylus. This study offers important insights into the phylogenetic relationships and biogeography history of the genus Corylus.