Macroscopic Characters Research Articles

The first described Onchopristis Stromer, 1917, (Elasmobranchii: †Onchopristidae) from the marine Maastrichtian of Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt

An exceptional hypertrophic batoid rostrum of exceptional size (TL = 146 cm) and four fragmentary rostral teeth collected from the marine Maastrichtian of the Dakhla Formation, Egypt. Both the macroscopic aspects (with the presence of a "wood-like" layer that covers the central part of the rostrum and the presence of skin denticles at the bases of the ventral face) and microscopic characters (presence of tessellated cartilage in the central part of the rostrum and of laminated cartilage in the peripheral areas of it) demonstrate that the rostrum belongs to a large specimen of the genus Onchopristis Stromer, 1917. The absence of complete rostral teeth prevents the establishment of a new species. Nonetheless, the described finds demonstrate, for the first time, that the genus Onchopristis persisted in the euryhaline areas of North Africa until the end of the Cretaceous.

Culture-dependent methods reveal the diversity of endophytic fungi of Psidium cattleianum leaves (Myrtales: Myrtaceae).

Endophytic fungi are a diverse group of microorganisms that reside within plant tissues and play a crucial ecological role in the development of their hosts. Psidium cattleianum (Myrtales: Myrtaceae: 'Cattley guava') is a Brazilian native species with economic potential due to the diverse applications of its fruits, wood, and essential oils. Despite their significance, the diversity of endophytic fungi associated with P. cattleianum remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the diversity of endophytic fungi in the leaves of this plant using cultivation-dependent isolation methods, analysis of the macroscopic characters of the isolates, and phylogenetic analyses employing the ITS barcode marker. A total of 396 isolates, classified into 25 fungal taxa, were obtained, namely, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, Coprinellus, Coriolopsis, Diaporthe, Induratia, Mycosphaerella, Muyocoprom, Myrmecridium, Neofusicoccum, Pantospora, Paracamarosporium, Parapallidocercospora, Paraphaeosphaeria, Penicillium, Perenniporia, Phaeophleospora, Phyllosticta, Pseudofusicoccum, Talaromyces, Xylaria, Sordariomycetes, and Xylariomycetes. Our findings reveal a significant diversity of fungi associated with P. cattleianum leaves; however, our study suggests an even greater diversity of fungi associated with this plant species. Interestingly, although P. cattleianum shares endophytic fungi with other plants in the Myrtaceae family, this plant species harbors a unique fungal community. This distinction is evidenced by certain fungal genera and seven potentially new phylogenetic species, isolated in this study.

Comparative Pharmacognostic Studies on the Stem Bark of <i>Sesbania sesban</i> (L.) Merr and <i>Sesbania grandiflora</i> (L.) Poir

A comparative study of the macroscopic and microscopic characters of the stem bark of Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr. and Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir is made. The table shows the differences in the macroscopical and microscopical characters of the two barks and the pharmacognostic characters of the powders in order to identify the two barks easily and properly when they are found in a mixed-up condition.

Pharmacognostic Studies on the Stem Bark of <I>Psidium guajava</I> Linn

The macroscopic and microscopic characters of the stem bark of Psidium guajava Linn, are described. Due to earlier defoliation of the previous cork layers the whole bark seems to consist of secondary phloem topped by cork cells. Absence of cortical tissue isone of the chief diagnostic characters. The bark is characterised by the presence of prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate in smaller phloem parenchyma cells, fusiform medullary ray cells terminated by tapering apical cells and absence of cortical and phloem fibres.

Pharmacognostic Studies on the Stem Barks of Four Species of <I>Cinnamomum</I>

The pharmacognostic studies on the stem barks of four species of Cinnamomum viz. Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, C. camphora Nees & Eberm., C. tamala Fr. Nees & C. iners Reinw. have been made. Macroscopic and microscopic characters and the characters of the powders of each bark have been studied and the authentic diagnostic characters of each bark were noted down in the table. These will remove confusion in proper identification of the market samples and will also help in checking adulterations.

Pharmacognostic Studies on the Stem Bark of <i>Streblus asper</i> Lour.

The macroscopic and microscopic studies of the stem bark of Streblus asper Lour. are made. Macroscopic characters reveal that the outer surface of the bark has got longitudinal wrinkles with transverse channels. On drying the bark can be easily separated into two layers; the outer hard and the inner fibrous layer. Two types of stone cells, phloem fibres with broad lumen and large prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate are the chief diagnostic characters.

Pharmacognostic Studies on the Leaf of <i>Calotropis gigantea</i> R. Br. Ex Ait.

The macroscopic and microscopic characters of the leaf of Calotropis gigantea R. Br. ex Ait. which is used in the indigenous system of medicine are described. Three layers of closely packed palisade cells, multicellular thin walled trichomes and presence of half stomata in the lower epidermis besides the rubiaceous type of stomata, absence of tannin and presence of fats and oils are the chief diagnostic characters.

Isolation and Phenotypic Identification of some Molds Isolated from Peanut Pastes Sold in some Public Markets in the City of Daloa, Central-West, Côte d’Ivoire

Molds are common contaminants in peanut pastes. Their presence can have a more or less serious effect on the health of the consumer. The general objective of this work is to evaluate the diversity of filamentous fungi producing mycotoxins in peanut paste sold in public markets in the city of Daloa. A total of fifty samples were collected from five markets for carrying out the work. Isolation was carried out on Sabouraud medium with chloramphenicol. An identification of filamentous fungi was carried out through the analysis of macroscopic and microscopic morphological characters. Of the 50 samples, ten do not contain mold with a rate of 20% and 40 contain mold with a rate of 80%. Macroscopic analysis after enumeration made it possible to identify two species of mold. These are Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. Microscopic examination made it possible to partially confirm its two species. The presence of these species with their mycotoxin production capacities suggests that contaminated peanut paste represents a risk to the health of consumers.

MORPHOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION OF WILD EDIBLE MUSHROOM (Termitomyces striatus) AT IPB UNIVERSITY CAMPUS FOREST

Indonesia is a tropical country which is famous for its 2 seasons, namely the rainy season and the dry season. In the rainy season, the humidity level will increase and induce the development of mushroom’s fruiting body, including the edible kind. The research on wild edible mushroom diversity should be carried out massively in various regions in Indonesia. One of the potential areas is the forest area of the IPB University Campus (HKIU). This study aims to explore and identify wild edible mushroom in HKIU. The mushroom exploration was done using an opportunistic sampling method. Selected wild mushroom was obtained and identified for macroscopic and microscopic morphological characters. The identification results based on the morphological characters of the fruiting bodies indicated that the mushrooms obtained from the current study is Termitomyces striatus which is acknowledged as an edible mushroom. Our finding can provide the additional information on distribution of T. striatus in Indonesia and the potential of this mushroom cultivation in foreseeable future.

Microscopic investigation and pharmacognostic evaluation of leaves of Anemone rupicola Camb.

There is almost no scientific literature available on the phytochemistry and pharmacognosy of this plant so the basic aim of the study is to analyze pharmacognostic features of dried leaves of Anemone rupicola Camb. Morphology was studied by using the features like margins, shape, length, width, surface and so forth. For anatomical examination leaves were preserved in formalin acetic alcohol (FAA) and cutting the thin section of leaves and petiole with razor blade. Macroscopic characters of powdered drug were evaluated through organoleptic method. Qualitative phytochemical analysis was done by adopting the standard procedures. The antimicrobial activity of methanolic extract of Anemone rupicola Camb. was performed by Agar well diffusion method. The powder microscopic study showed epidermal cells, trichomes, various type of tracheids, pitted vessels, and sclerenchymatous fibers. Transverse cutting of leaves and petiole revealed the presence of different cells such as epidermis, palisade parenchyma, spongy parenchyma cells, aerenchyma, collenchyma, trichomes, and vascular bundles. The investigation of phytochemicals in distilled water, methanol and in ethanol solvent indicated the presence of various secondary compounds such as phenols, saponins, glycosides, alkaloids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, coumarins, and flavonoids. The methanolic extract of Anemone rupicola Camb. has potential as an antimicrobial agent. However, further studies are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety. This study can be used as powerful tool for the identification and authentication of this plant. For the purity and quality control these results will be helpful tool. This will also shed light into new areas where researchers can intervene in developing new drugs for future use. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Morphological Features of the Anemone rupicola Anatomical examination of leaves of Anemeone rupicola Microscopic features of powdered drug of leaves of Anemone rupicola Qualitative Phytochemical analysis of the leaves of Anemone rupicola.

Taxonomy and systematics of the fungus-growing ant associate Escovopsis (Hypocreaceae)-SUPP

Supplementary files:<br />Table S1. Culture media used to standardize the parameters to assess morphological characters of Escovopsis species.<br />Table S2. Measurements of the colony radius of the Escovopsis ex-type cultures, and the new described species.<br />Table S3. Molecular markers, primers and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) conditions.<br />Table S4. Strains and their associated metadata used to reveal the phylogenetic relationships of Escovopsis species described by Marfetán et al. (2019) (Fig. S2).<br />Table S5. Morphological features used to construct the dichotomous key of Escovopsis species.<br />Table S6. Data recoding sheet to evaluate the macroscopic characters of the colonies of Escovopsis species.<br />Table S7. Data recoding sheet to evaluate the microscopic characters of Escovopsis species.<br />Fig. S1. Phylogeny revealing relationship among 19 species of Escovopsis, based on each molecular marker: (A) rpb2, (B) tef1, (C) ITS, (D) rpb1, (E) LSU, and (E) the combination of all of them (concatenated). Phylogenies shown were inferred using Bayesian Inference (BI) and Sympodiorosea kreiselii CBS 139320 was used as the outgroup. Numbers on branches indicate BI posterior probabilities (PP) and Maximum Likelihood bootstrap support values (MLB), respectively. Hyphens (--) indicate MLB < 70 %. ET indicates ex-type cultures and red crosses the non-viable strains. See Table 1 for all strains and their associated metadata used to infer these phylogenetic trees.<br />Fig. S2. Phylogeny revealing the relationship between Escovopsis species described by Marfetán et al. (2018). The tree was reconstructed to include the LSU sequences (in the green box) generated by Marfetán et al. (2018). The phylogeny was reconstructed using Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) and and Sympodiorosea kreiselii CBS 139320 was used as the outgroup. Numbers on branches indicate BI posterior probabilities (PP) and Maximum Likelihood bootstrap support values (MLB), respectively. Hyphens (--) indicate MLB < 70 %. ET indicates ex-type cultures and red crosses the non-viable strains. See Table S4 for all strains and their associated metadata.<br />Fig. S3. Dichotomous key, in a cladogram format, revealing the relationship among Escovopsis species. The cladogram was reconstructed using 68 morphological features from species of Escovopsis in “rpart” library (Therneau & Atkinson 2019) in R v. 3.6.3. The final cladogram was manually edited using Adobe Illustrator CC v. 17.1. Information on branches was used to construct the taxonomic key and the leaves correspond to each Escovopsis species. See Table S5 for all associated data used to infer this cladogram.

Three new records of Helotiales for the mycobiota of Türkiye

Hymenoscyphus imberbis (Bull.) Dennis, H. vitigenus (De Not.) Dennis (Helotiaceae) and Gemmina gemmarum (Boud.) Raitv. (Pezizellaceae) species, collected from Bingöl and Van provinces, are given as new records for Türkiye. The identified samples are given with macroscopic and microscopic characters, photographs, collection localities and collector numbers

Structures and energies of computed silicon (001) small angle mixed grain boundaries as a function of three macroscopic characters

Small angle grain boundaries comprised of dislocation structures have unique impacts on the performances of crystalline materials. In this atomistic study, we report structure-property correlations of Si (001) small angle mixed grain boundaries (SAMGBs) across three macroscopic GB characters (tilt character, twist character, and an implicit rotation character between them). Firstly, for the computed SAMGB energies spanning the three-dimensional GB character space, a revised Read-Shockley relationship is proposed and fitted, which hints that the energy trends follow the Read-Shockley formalism from the insight of GB decomposition. GB structural transitions from dislocation to amorphous structures are also given as a function of dislocation core radii, allowing the estimation of small angle GB proportion. Then, the proportion, topology and structural signatures of different SAMGB types defined from the ratio between the tilt and twist angles are presented. By extracting the transformation of metastable SAMGB phases, the formation process of these (001) SAMGB structures is characterized as the energetically favorable dislocation glide and reaction, from which the dislocation density function is derived. The relevant results about SAMGB energies and structures are validated and supported by theoretical calculations and experimental observations, respectively.

Study on Diversity of Fungus Associated with Nephila pilipes

The fungus has various type of association with spider. They can be pathogenic or symbiotic or commensal in relationship to spiders they live on. In the current study the diversity of fungi in association with Nephila pilipes spider were recorded. The fungi were isolated from its legs and saliva. The microscopic and macroscopic characters were obtained. The measurements of hyphae, conidia and conidiophore were recorded. The fungal growth was more on legs compared to saliva. The legs of the adult spider carried more fungi than saliva as they are associated with soil, carrying microflora on their legs. Further the four different fungus isolated as aspergillus, penicillium, Trichoderma and Cladosporium. The penicillium colony had abundant growth, aspergillus had moderate growth and Cladosporium had less growth compared to Trichoderma.

Palynological and macroscopic characters evidence infer the evolutionary history and insight into pollination adaptation in Impatiens (Balsaminaceae)

AbstractThe genus Impatiens comprises more than 1000 species and displays enormous morphological diversity. As a taxon that is notoriously difficult to classify morphologically, the taxonomic significance of pollen morphology has been discussed in previous studies. However, there was only limited study on the evolution of palynological and macroscopic character in this genus before. In this paper, we observed pollen of 143 species of Impatiens, including all representatives of infrageneric groups and discussed their taxonomic value. Meanwhile, based on the reconstructed phylogenetic framework, we selected five pollen traits, and nine macroscopic traits including both vegetative and reproductive organs for evolutionary analysis. The character reconstruction showed that the morphology and number of aperture, granules in lumina, seed number of per capsule, number of sepals, lateral united petals connate, spur length, and phyllotaxy could be identified as unambiguous, while other characters were ambiguous in the last common ancestor of Impatiens. The results of comprehensively macroscopic characters and palynological evidence suggest that these traits experienced a complicated evolution, exhibit high levels of instability and variability and occur character multiple reversals in the evolutionary processes of Impatiens due to different selection pressures. In addition, we found that there is an evident mosaic evolution in this genus. Pollen and macroscopic character are conserved with a slower evolutionary rate in the I. subgen. Clavicarpa, however, these characters showed higher diversity with a rapid rate of evolution in the I. subgen. Impatiens. Furthermore, the relationship between floral morphology and pollinators was discussed.

Novel species discrimination method elucidates colony growth form variation between the New Zealand soft corals Kotatea aurantiaca and Kotatea lobata

In New Zealand, Kotatea aurantiaca and Kotatea lobata are two common, endemic, co-occurring, and morphologically similar soft coral species that currently cannot be distinguished without microscopic examination of sclerites and of which little is known regarding any aspect of their ecology or biology. The aim of the present study is to ascertain if, and in what ways, their colony growth forms differ, and to test the taxonomic value of macroscopic morphological character measurements using statistical discrimination analyses. A binary logistic regression model is developed whereby macroscopic characters of colony morphology can be used to assign specimens to either species with ~ 90% accuracy. Species assignment accuracy is greatest when ratios formed from morphological measurements are used rather than direct measurements. Here, these ratios are used for the first time to account for the appearance-altering habit among soft corals of hydrostatically expanding and contracting their coelenteron with seawater. Relationships between colony morphology and depth are also examined, and it is suggested that phenotypic plasticity detected in K. lobata, causing it to resemble K. aurantiaca more closely at greater depths, may contribute to their morphological overlap. It is anticipated that this discrimination technique will facilitate future research on the ecology and biology of these species and will be replicated on other sets of morphologically similar soft corals for which species discrimination has been problematic.

Pharmacognostic Evaluation of Ipomoea hederifolia L.

Ipomoea hederifolia commonly known as Red morning glory or Scarlet creeper has diuretic, anthelminthic, laxative, carminative and anti-inflammatory qualities. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used as cathartic, diuretic and expectorant. The plant is known to have sternutatory action. This study was aimed to investigate the pharmacognostic and physicochemical parameters of the leaf and stem. Macroscopic, microscopic and physicochemical parameters of the leaf and stem were investigated using standard methods. The macroscopy showed it is a twining vine. Microscopic studies revealed the leaves are dorsiventral in nature. Presence of cluster crystals of calcium oxalate, paracytic stomata, unicellular trichomes, bicollateral vascular bundles were also observed. The physicochemical parameters such as different ash values and extractive values were also investigated. The present study includes macroscopic and microscopic characters of the stsem and leaf of Ipomoea hederifolia and these various parameters observed help to establish the correct identity of Ipomoea hederifolia to check the occurrence of adulteration.

Some quality standards for Dronapushpi Panchanga (Leucas aspera Spreng) Powder

Background: Dronapushpi (Leucas aspera Spreng) of Lamiaceae is found as a weed throughout the country. It is described in various Nighantus. To maintain the effectiveness of crude drugs, the standardisation and proper identification of the plant is very important. Fresh juice of Dronapushpi is efficacious in malarial fever, collyrium prepared from the juice is used in jaundice, the decoction of the herb is used to ulcer as wash liquid, also applied externally to poisonous insect bites and also useful in worm infestation, inflammation, bronchitis, asthma and cough. In this study Dronapushpi panchanga (whole plant) was studied systematically to evaluate its quality standards. Methods: Macro-microscopic features, physico-chemical and phytochemical investigation were performed as per Pharmacopoeial procedures. Results: The pharmacognostic study revealed the macroscopic characters, physicochemical constants and phytochemical nature of Donapushpi. The extracts which were screened for its phytochemicals showed the presence of constituents like coumarin, flavonoids, carbohydrates, phenols and tannin in both the ethanolic and aqueous extracts. HPTLC profile was developed as fingerprint of extracts. Conclusion: Results of the present investigation L. aspera plant will help in validation of this crude drug.

Studies on the Genus Pyrenopolyporus (Hypoxylaceae) in Thailand Using a Polyphasic Taxonomic Approach.

Over the past two decades, hypoxylaceous specimens were collected from several sites in Thailand. In this study, we examined their affinity to the genus Pyrenopolyporus using macroscopic and microscopic morphological characters, dereplication of their stromatal secondary metabolites using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and ion mobility tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-IM-MS/MS), and molecular phylogenetic analyses. We describe and illustrate five novel species and a new record for the country, present multi-locus phylogenetic analyses that show the distinction between the proposed species, and provide proteomic profiles of the fungi using matrix associated laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) for the first time. Based on our findings, this strategy is useful as a complementary tool to distinguish species between Daldinia and Pyrenopolyporus in a consistent way with the phylogenetic analysis.

Leaf Blight: A New Disease of Xanthium strumarium Caused by Exserohilum rostratum in Sudan

The fungus Exserohilum rostratum was consistently isolated from necroticspots and blight of Xanthium strumarium leaves. It was identified on the basis ofmicroscopic and macroscopic characters. Pathogenecity was demonstrated bypressurized hand sprayer inoculation. This is the first record of leaf blight caused by E.rostratum on X. strumarium in Sudan