Multigene Phylogeny Research Articles

A new species of Hypancistrus Isbrücker & Nijssen 1991 (Loricariidae, Siluriformes) from the rapids of the middle Rio Tocantins.

The Hypancistrus genus is recognized in the Río Orinoco basin and Rio Xingu in the Guiana and Brazilian Shields, respectively. Some of its species are important in ornamental fishing. Despite this significance, many other undescribed species are still awaiting to be named. Here we describe a new species of Hypancistrus found on bedrock in the Rio Tocantins, representing an extension of the distribution of the genus. Also, a multigene phylogeny is presented to evaluate the taxonomic position of this species concerning congeners. The new species differs from all congeners by (1) hypertrophied odontodes on cheeks reaching beyond the cleithrum, (2) a supraoccipital crest conspicuously elevated, (3) a supraorbital crest slightly convex, (4) oblique bars on the anterior part of the body, (5) a dark E-shaped mark on the snout, (6) three oblique dark bars on the anterior part of the body and horizontal vermicular bars from the pectoral girdle to the posterior insertion of the dorsal fin, (7) a thin light gray bar on the posterior of the head extending across the branchial opening, (8) a tan background color, (9) a developed suspensorium with a diminished appendix in the metapterygoid, and (10) a dentary plate robust significantly fused with the angulo-articular bone. The molecular phylogenetic results show the new species forming a group with Hypancistrus zebra (Brazilian Shield-Rio Xingu) as a clade, a sister group of a monophyletic group consisting of all congeners from the Río Orinoco.

Trichoderma azadirachtae sp. nov. from rhizosphere soil of Azadirachta indica from Guangdong Province, China

Trichoderma species are distributed worldwide and they play an important role in plant protection, growth promotion and also as biocontrol agents of plant diseases. In this study, a new species of Trichoderma was isolated from Azadirachta indica rhizosphere soils in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, China. Based on the morphology and combined multigene phylogeny of nuclear internal transcribed spacer of rDNA region (ITS), translation elongation factor 1 alpha (tef1-α) and RNA polymerase second largest subunit (rpb2), a new Trichoderma species belongs to the Harzianum-clade was identified, namely Trichoderma azadirachtae sp. nov. Distinctions between the new species and its close relatives are discussed in detail.

Incomplete barriers to heterospecific mating among Somatochlora species (Odonata: Corduliidae) as revealed in multi-gene phylogenies.

Mating between species occurs within many insect orders. The result of heterospecific mating depends upon the effectiveness of pre- and post-reproductive barriers. Incomplete reproductive barriers lead to introgression of DNA into one species or both. Intricate genital morphology among dragonflies provides little assurance of species specificity given that heterospecific mating or mating attempts have been observed among many species. The genetic consequence is unknown for many heterospecific matings. For example, Somatochlora species mating and genetic exchange have been hypothesized based on observational records and individuals with hybrid morphology. We investigate the potential of heterospecific mating between North American Somatochlora species as inferred from multi-gene phylogenies. We used mitochondrial genes (COI and ND3) and nuclear genes (EF1-α and ITS2) to construct phylogenies using maximum parsimony. Observation of non-monophyletic mtDNA lineages but monophyletic nDNA lineages between Somatochlora sister-species would indicate mtDNA introgression and suggest heterospecific matings. Our results highlighted three instances of non-monophyly of mtDNA clades in the following groups: (i) S. hineana + S. tenebrosa; (ii) S. kennedyi + S. forcipata + S. franklini; and (iii) S. calverti + S. provocans + S. filosa. Analysis of partitioned Bremer support indicates that mtDNA COI largely contributed to the non-monophyly of these species, thus suggesting mtDNA introgression resulting from heterospecific matings. Additionally, the topology resulting from the combined data analysis was concordant with previous taxonomic understanding of Somatochlora species groups. These multi-gene phylogenies of North American Somatochlora are the first, providing a foundation for future ecological and evolution studies and knowledge for effective decision-making and public policy, which is especially important for the endangered species, S. hineana.

Multi-gene analysis of the Russula crown clade (Russulales, Basidiomycota) revealed six new species and Alboflavinae subsect. nov. from Fagaceae forests in China.

The crown clade is one of two major groups in the Russula subg. Russula. An analysis of Chinese samples was performed based on the morphology, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, and multi-gene phylogenies of 28S nrLSU, 16S mtSSU, rpb1, rpb2, and tef1-α. The results supported the independence of six new species: Russula alboflava (sect. Amethystinae), R. chrysantha (subsect. Chamaeleontinae), R. liyui (subsect. Laricinae), R. lutescens (subsect. Olivaceinae), R. paraxerampelina, and R. prunicolor (subsect. Xerampelinae) from Fagaceae forest habitats. Subsect. Alboflavinae was newly proposed in sect. Amethystinae. Members of the new subsection include R. alboflava, R. burlinghamiae, and possibly R. ballouii. Our analyses also supported the claim that two species of R. fulvograminea (subsect. Laricinae) and R. subrubens (subsect. Xerampelinae) have a Eurasian distribution. The habitat and primary hosts of the main phylogenetic clades within related subsections were summarized and discussed.

A phylogeny of the Inocybe alienospora group (Agaricales) with emphasis on seven new species from China and emendation of sect. Leptocybe

ABSTRACT A multigene phylogeny of the Inocybe alienospora group is presented based on analyses of ITS, 28S, and rpb2 nucleotide data. Four major subclades and three additional independent lineages were identified in the I. alienospora group. Two species with superficial similarities with the I. alienospora group, viz, I. multicoronata and I. elata, however, were not nested within the I. alienospora group. Inocybe sect. Leptocybe is proposed to accommodate the I. alienospora group in a more formal classification system. As such, sect. Leptocybe now includes 12 documented species and seven new species described in this work. The seven new species include I. aprica sp. nov., I. casuarinoides sp. nov. I. haikouensis sp. nov., three species associated with Casuarina from tropical China; also I. heteromorpha, a species associated with fagaceous trees from tropical China; and I. aurescens sp. nov., I. juji sp. nov., and I. peppa sp. nov., three species associated with fagaceous trees from subtropical China. In addition, new geographical data for I. carpinicola and I. acutata are reported. The East Asian species I. acutata and the neotropical species I. lasseri were confirmed as members of sect. Leptocybe. A key to the 19 species in sect. Leptocybe is also provided.

Multi-gene phylogeny and phenotypic analyses revealed an association of different Colletotrichum species with inflorescence dieback and leaf spot of arecanut in India

Arecanut is one of the economically important plantation crops. Among the various diseases, inflorescence dieback and leaf spot/blight diseases caused by Colletotrichum spp. have re-emerged as major factors impeding arecanut production in India in the last few years. To understand the Colletotrichum species complex in the arecanut system, we have characterized Colletotrichum spp. associated with inflorescence dieback and leaf spot/blight of arecanut based on a combination of phenotypic, multi-locus (ITS, ACT, CHS-1, GAPDH, HIS3 and TUB2) phylogeny and pathogenicity studies. A total of 26 Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from arecanut inflorescence dieback (13 isolates) and leaf spot/blight (13 isolates) infected tissues collected from disease-endemic regions of Karnataka, Kerala and Tripura states of India. The combined multi-locus sequence analyses and a critical examination of phenotypic characters revealed the association of Colletotrichum aoteaora as a dominant species with arecanut inflorescence dieback disease. On the other hand, two Colletotrichum species, viz., C. siamense and C. fructicola, were distinctly associated with leaf spot/blight disease. All the Colletotrichum isolates studied were pathogenic to arecanut. Significant variations in lesion size were observed among the different species with cross-infection ability on inflorescence and leaves. This study represents the first comprehensive study of Colletotrichum spp. associated with arecanut inflorescence dieback and leaf spot/blight diseases. In addition, the study is the first record of C. aoteaora, C. siamense, and C. fructicola associated with the arecanut crop in this country. It provides valuable information for implementing effective IDM strategies against these diseases in India.

Multi-gene phylogeny and morphological characters reveal seven new species of Micropsalliota (Agaricales, Agaricaceae) from southern China, with an updated key for the species distributed in China

ABSTRACT Species of Micropsalliota generally grow in the tropics and are characterised by small, slender basidiomes, brown basidiospores, and cheilocystidia that vary in shape with capitate or subcapitate apex, and pigmented pileipellis. Based on morphological characters and molecular evidence, here we describe seven new species from southern China, viz. Micropsalliota ferruginea, M. fimbriata, M. gigaspora, M. longicystis, M. nana, M. squarrosa, and M. umbonata. Micropsalliota appendiculata, a species recently described from Vietnam, was first recorded in China. The Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses based on multi-locus sequence datasets (the nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, nrITS; the D1–D2 domains of nuc 28S rDNA, LSU; partial sequences of the most variable region of the second-largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, rpb2, and a portion of the translation-elongation factor 1-α, tef1) shows that the genus is separated into 11 major clades and subclades. To aid in diagnosis, a key to 32 species of Micropsalliota in China is provided.

The symbiotic alga Trebouxia fuels a coherent soil ecosystem on the landscape scale in the Atacama Desert

Biocrusts represent associations of lichens, green algae, cyanobacteria, fungi and other microorganisms, colonizing soils in varying proportions of principally arid biomes. The so-called grit crust represents a recently discovered type of biocrust situated in the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert (Chile) made of microorganisms growing on and in granitoid pebbles, resulting in a checkerboard pattern visible to the naked eye on the landscape scale. This specific microbiome fulfills a broad range of ecosystem services, all probably driven by fog and dew-induced photosynthetic activity of mainly micro-lichens. To understand its biodiversity and impact, we applied a polyphasic approach on the phototrophic microbiome of this biocrust, combining isolation and characterization of the lichen photobionts, multi-gene phylogeny of the photobionts and mycobionts based on a direct sequencing and microphotography approach, metabarcoding and determination of chlorophylla+b contents. Metabarcoding showed that yet undescribed lichens within the Caliciaceae dominated the biocrust together with Trebouxia as the most abundant eukaryote in all plots. Together with high mean chlorophylla+b contents exceeding 410 mg m−2, this distinguished the symbiotic algae Trebouxia as the main driver of the grit crust ecosystem. The trebouxioid photobionts could be assigned to the I (T. impressa/gelatinosa) and A (T. arboricola) clades and represented several lineages containing five potential species candidates, which were identified based on the unique phylogenetic position, morphological features, and developmental cycles of the corresponding isolates. These results designate the grit crust as the only known coherent soil layer with significant landscape covering impact of at least 440 km2, predominantly ruled by a single symbiotic algal genus.

Thyridium livistonae sp. nov. from Yunnan Province, China, with two new combinations

ABSTRACT An ascomycetous fungus was collected and isolated from dead leaves of Livistona chinensis in Lincang City, Yunnan Province, China, and morphology and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses of LSU, ITS, Actin, and β-tub were carried out to identify it. The morphology and multigene phylogeny revealed that this fungus is a distinct species of Thyridium. Therefore, this fungus is described and introduced as Thyridium livistonae sp. nov. In addition, two new combinations T. hipposidericola and T. xishuangbannaense are proposed based on morphology and phylogeny for Phialemoniopsis hipposidericola Karun., Tibpromma & X.F. Liu and P. xishuangbannaensis Karun., Tibpromma & X.F. Liu respectively. A detailed description, illustrations, and phylogenetic results are provided for the new species and two new combinations.

Saccharomycetaceae: delineation of fungal genera based on phylogenomic analyses, genomic relatedness indices and genomics-based synapomorphies.

A correct classification of fungi, including yeasts, is of prime importance to understand fungal biodiversity and to communicate about this diversity. Fungal genera are mainly defined based on phenotypic characteristics and the results of single or multigene-based phylogenetic analyses. However, because yeasts often have less phenotypic characters, their classification experienced a strong move towards DNA-based data, from short ribosomal sequences to multigene phylogenies and more recently to phylogenomics. Here, we explore the usefulness of various genomics-based parameters to circumscribe fungal genera more correctly taking the yeast domain as an example. Therefore, we compared the results of a phylogenomic analysis, average amino acid identity (AAI) values, the presence of conserved signature indels (CSIs), the percentage of conserved proteins (POCP) and the presence-absence patterns of orthologs (PAPO). These genome-based metrics were used to investigate their usefulness in demarcating 13 hitherto relatively well accepted genera in Saccharomycetaceae, namely Eremothecium, Grigorovia, Kazachstania, Kluyveromyces, Lachancea, Nakaseomyces, Naumovozyma, Saccharomyces, Tetrapisispora, Torulaspora, Vanderwaltozyma, Zygosaccharomyces and Zygotorulaspora. As a result, most of these genera are supported by the genomics-based metrics, but the genera Kazachstania, Nakaseomyces and Tetrapisispora were shown to be genetically highly diverse based on the above listed analyses. Considering the results obtained for the presently recognized genera, a range of 80-92 % POCP values and a range of 60-70 % AAI values might be valuable thresholds to discriminate genera in Saccharomycetaceae. Furthermore, the genus-specific genes identified in the PAPO analysis and the CSIs were found to be useful as synapomorphies to characterize and define genera in Saccharomycetaceae. Our results indicate that the combined monophyly-based phylogenomic analysis together with genomic relatedness indices and synapomorphies provide promising approaches to delineating yeast genera and likely those of filamentous fungi as well. The genera Kazachstania, Nakaseomyces and Tetrapisispora are revised and we propose eight new genera and 41 new combinations. Citation: Liu F, Hu Z-D, Yurkov A, et al. 2024. Saccharomycetaceae: delinaeation of fungal genera based on phylogenomic analyses, genomic relatedness indices and genomics-based synapomorphies. Persoonia 52: 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3767/persoonia.2024.52.01.

Aggressive Alternaria brassicicola with Reduced Fungicide Sensitivity Can Be Associated with Naturally Infested Broccoli Seeds.

Alternaria brassicicola is a part of the Alternaria complex that causes leaf blight and head rot (ABHR) in brassica crops. Infested broccoli seeds can play an important role in introducing A. brassicicola in transplant houses and production fields. However, characterization of natural seed infestation and seed-to-seedling transmission of A. brassicicola in broccoli is yet to be demonstrated. In this research, we characterized Alternaria spp. isolates from commercial broccoli seedlots for their species identity, pathogenicity, and aggressiveness on broccoli and their sensitivity to a quinone-outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicide (azoxystrobin). Two hundred commercial seedlots from two broccoli cultivars, Cultivar 1 (EC; n = 100 seedlots) and Cultivar 2 (ED; n = 100 seedlots) were, evaluated for the presence of A. brassicicola under in vitro conditions using a seedling grow-out assay. Alternaria spp. was detected in 31 and 28% of the commercial seedlots of Cultivar 1 and Cultivar 2, respectively. The seed-to-seedling transmission (%) varied considerably within each positive-infested seedlot, which ranged from 1.3 to 17.3%. Subsequent molecular identification of single-spore cultures (n = 138) was made by sequencing four housekeeping genes: actin, the major allergen (Alta1), plasma membrane ATPase, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD), and the sequences were concatenated and compared for the phylogenetic distance with diverse Alternaria species. Ninety-six percent (n = 133) of the isolates formed a cluster with a known A. brassicicola based on a multigene phylogeny, which were later confirmed as A. brassicicola using a species-specific PCR assay. One hundred percent of the A. brassicicola seed isolates (n = 133) were either highly or moderately aggressive on broccoli (cultivar Emerald Crown) based on a detached leaf assay. Sensitivity of representative A. brassicicola isolates (n = 58) to azoxystrobin was evaluated using a spore germination assay, and the EC50 values (effective fungicide concentration [ppm] at which germination of conidia of isolates were reduced by 50% compared to control) for each isolate was determined. A. brassicicola isolates from naturally infested commercial broccoli seeds were sensitive to azoxystrobin with considerably low EC50 values in the range of <0.0001 to 0.33 ppm; however, there were a few isolates (14%) that showed 100-fold reduced sensitivity from the most sensitive isolate (EC50 = 0.0001 ppm). Our results confirm that commercial broccoli seedlots can be naturally contaminated with pathogenic and aggressive A. brassicicola. We also provide evidence for the potential presence of A. brassicicola isolates with reduced azoxystrobin-sensitivity in naturally infested commercial broccoli seedlots, which has never been reported before. Together, these findings may have implications in considerations for seed-health testing, seed treatments, and greenhouse scouting to limit introduction of infested seedlots in commercial broccoli fields.

Mucor thermorhizoides—A New Species from Post-mining Site in Sudety Mountains (Poland)

Mucor representatives are mostly rapidly growing cosmopolitan soil saprotrophs of early diverged Mucoromycotina subphylum. Although this is the most speciose genus within the group, some lineages are still understudied. In this study, new species of Mucor was isolated from the post-mining area in southwestern Poland, where soil chemical composition analysis revealed high concentration of hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Phylogenetic analysis based on multigene phylogeny showed that the new isolate clusters distinctly from other Mucor species as a sister group to Mucor microsporus. New species Mucor thermorhizoides Abramczyk (Mucorales, Mucoromycota) is characterized by the extensive rhizoid production in elevated temperatures and formation of two layers of sporangiophores. It also significantly differs from M. microsporus in the shape of spores and the size of sporangia. M. thermorhizoides was shown to be able to grow in oligotrophic conditions at low temperatures. Together with M. microsporus they represent understudied and highly variable lineage of the Mucor genus.

Additions to Crepidotus species (Basidiomycota): Six new species and two new records from Thailand

Six new species and two new records of Crepidotus are described from Thailand. Macroscopic and microscopic descriptions with photoplates, as well as a multigene phylogeny, are provided. Crepidotus chiangraiensis sp. nov. is recognized as densely velutinous with white hairs longer near the point of attachment, not striate margin, and not hygrophanous. Crepidotus- flavocarpus sp. nov. is recognized by yellow to yellowish pileus basidiomata, margin discolorous paler yellow, densely velutinous with white hairs near the point of attachment, smooth globose basidiospores, and inverse hymenophoral trama. Crepidotus thailandicus sp. nov. is recognized by a tomentose surface with white hair when primordial to early stages and then disappearing with age when mature present long translucent-striate reward to the point of attachment becoming fade away at central. Crepidotus roseocarpus sp. nov. is recognized by large basidiomata, pileus, lamellae, and context are pastel pink, concolorous darker pink at the margin, hymenophoral trama convergent, with cylindrical terminal elements. Crepidotus-ungulatus sp. nov. is recognized by ungulate basidiomata, brownish orange near the point of attachment, the basidiomata color changed to light brown in three hours, and the margin is concolorous to the surface of the pileus. Crepidotus viscidus sp. nov. is recognized by white semicircular pileus, translucent-striate with gray to dark grey margin, lamellae pale orange to orange-white, glutinous context, smooth basidiospore and hymenophoral trama present regular form. Crepidotus lateralipes and C. striatus are reported as new records to Thailand.

A re-evaluation of Diaporthe: refining the boundaries of species and species complexes

Diaporthe is an important plant pathogenic genus, which also occurs as endophytes and saprobes. Many Diaporthe species that are morphologically similar proved to be genetically distinct. The current understanding of Diaporthe taxonomy by applying morphological characters, host associations and multi-gene phylogeny are problematic leading to overestimation/underestimation of species numbers of this significant fungal pathogenic genus. Currently, there are no definite boundaries for the accepted species. Hence, the present study aims to re-structure the genus Diaporthe, based on single gene phylogenies (ITS, tef, tub, cal and his), multi-gene phylogeny justified by applying GCPSR (Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition) methodology as well as the coalescence-based models (PTP—Poisson Tree Processes and mPTP—multi-rate Poisson Tree Processes). Considering all available type isolates of Diaporthe, the genus is divided into seven sections while boundaries for 13 species and 15 species-complexes are proposed. To support this re-assessment of the genus, 82 Diaporthe isolates obtained from woody hosts in Guizhou Province in China were investigated and revealed the presence of two novel species and 17 previously known species. Synonymies are specified for 31 species based on molecular data and morphological studies. Dividing Diaporthe into several specific sections based on phylogenetic analyses can avoid the construction of lengthy phylogenetic trees of the entire genus in future taxonomic studies. In other words, when one conducts research related to the genus, only species from the appropriate section need to be selected for phylogenetic analysis.

Polysaccharides of Aspergillus cristatus attenuate obesity by regulating gut microbiota and gut microbiota-related metabolites

Golden-flower fungus, the only dominant microorganism determining the Fu-brick tea quality through fermentation and the important microbe in Liupao tea, is considered a potential probiotic fungus based on its anti-obesity effect. However, the classification of golden-flower fungi is still controversial; the anti-obesity effect of golden-flower fungus polysaccharides remains unknown. In this study, we identify a golden-flower strain as Aspergillus cristatus based on morphological characteristics and multigene phylogeny analysis, which resolves the controversy of classification. Moreover, we find A. cristatus polysaccharides (ACPS) attenuate obesity in rats. ACPS modulate gut bacterial composition, in which Akkermansia, Akkermansia muciniphila, Bacteroides, Romboutsia, Blautia, and Desulfovibrio are considered the core microbes regulated by ACPS. ACPS increase fecal total short-chain fatty acid content and serum, hepatic, and fecal total bile acid content. Furthermore, ACPS-induced gut microbiota alteration plays a causal role in the protection from obesity, according to a fecal transplantation experiment. Thus, ACPS ameliorate obesity by regulating gut microbiota and gut microbiota-related metabolites.

Concordance of multigene genealogy along with morphological evidence unveils five novel species and two new records of boletoid mushrooms (fungi) from India

Agaricales, Russulales and Boletales are dominant orders among the wild mushrooms in Basidiomycota. Boletaceae, one of the major functional elements in terrestrial ecosystem and mostly represented by ectomycorrhizal symbionts of trees in Indian Himalaya and adjoining hills, are extraordinarily diverse and represented by numerous genera and species which are unexplored or poorly known. Therefore, their hidden diversity is yet to be revealed. Extensive macrofungal exploration by the authors to different parts of Himalaya and surroundings, followed by through morphological studies and multigene molecular phylogeny lead to the discovery of five new species of wild mushrooms: Leccinellum bothii sp. nov., Phylloporus himalayanus sp. nov., Phylloporus smithii sp. nov., Porphyrellus uttarakhandae sp. nov., and Retiboletus pseudoater sp. nov. Present communication deals with morphological details coupled with illustrations and phylogenetic inferences. Besides, Leccinellum sinoaurantiacum and Xerocomus rugosellus are also reported for the first time from this country.

Description of Naviculavanseea sp. nov. (Naviculales, Naviculaceae), a new species of diatom from the highly alkaline Lake Van (Republic of Türkiye) with complete characterisation of its organellar genomes and multigene phylogeny.

The current article describes Naviculavanseeasp. nov., a new species of diatom from Lake Van, a highly alkaline lake in Eastern Anatolia (Türkiye). The description is based on light and scanning electron microscopy performed on two monoclonal cultures. The complete nuclear rRNA clusters and plastid genomes have been sequenced for these two strains and the complete mitogenome for one of them. The plastome of both strains shows the probable loss of a functional ycf35 gene. They also exhibit two IB4 group I introns in their rrl, each encoding for a putative LAGLIDADG homing endonuclease, with the first L1917 IB4 intron reported amongst diatoms. The Maximum Likelihood phylogeny inferred from a concatenated alignment of 18S, rbcL and psbC distinguishes N.vanseea sp. nov. from the morphologically similar species Naviculacincta and Naviculamicrodigitoradiata.

Multigene phylogeny, bioactive properties, enzymatic and dye decolorization potential of selected marine fungi from brown algae and sponges of Mauritius

Marine fungi represent an important proportion of the microbial diversity in the oceans. They are attractive candidates for biotechnological purposes and industrial applications. Despite an increasing interest in mycology, marine fungi associated with sponges and algae have been poorly studied in Mauritius. The objectives of this study were to: 1) use multigene phylogenetic analyses to identify isolated marine fungi; 2) determine the differences in the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the fungal extracts; and 3) assess their enzyme activities and dye decolorization potential. Five fungal isolates viz Aspergillus chevalieri, Aspergillus iizukae, Aspergillus ochraceus, Exserohilum rostratum and Biatriospora sp. were identified based on phylogenetic analyses. There was no significant difference in the antimicrobial properties of the liquid and solid media extracts unlike the antioxidant properties (p < 0.05). The solid media extract of Aspergillus chevalieri (F2-SF) had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.156 mg/ml against Staphylococcus aureus while Aspergillus ochraceus (F25-SF) had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.313 and 2.5 mg/ml against Enterococcus faecalis and Salmonella typhi. The solid media extract of Biatriospora sp. (F34-SF) had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.195 and 1.563 mg/ml against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Enterobacter cloacae. An IC50 of 78.92 ± 4.71 μg/ml in the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) value of 11.17 ± 0.20 mM Fe2+/g dry weight extract (DWE) and total phenolic content 360.35 ± 10.31 mg GAE/g DWE was obtained with the solid media extract of Aspergillus chevalieri (F2-SF). Aspergillus ochraceus (F25-SF) and Biatriospora sp. (F34-SF) solid media extracts showed lower IC50 values in the DPPH assay and higher total phenolic content as compared to the liquid media extracts. Aspergillus chevalieri was a good producer of the enzymes DNAse and lipase and had maximum percentage dye decolorization of 79.40 ± 17.72% on Congo red. An enzymatic index ≥ 2 was found for the DNAse and lipase and the maximum percentage dye decolorization of 87.18 ± 3.80% was observed with Aspergillus ochraceus on Methylene blue. Regarding Biatriospora sp., it was a moderate producer of the three enzymes amylase, DNAse and protease and had a maximum dye decolorization potential of 56.29 ± 6.51% on Crystal violet. This study demonstrates that Mauritian marine fungi possess good bioactive properties, enzymatic and dye decolorization potentials, that can potentially be considered for use in pharmaceutical and industrial applications.

Phylogenomics and morphology of Celmisiinae (Asteraceae: Astereae): Taxonomic and evolutionary implications

The tribe Astereae (Asteraceae) includes 36 subtribes and 252 genera, and is distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. One of the subtribes, Celmisiinae Saldivia, has been recently circumscribed to include six genera and ca. 160 species, and is restricted to eastern Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea. The species show an impressive range of growth habit, from small herbs and ericoid subshrubs to medium-sized trees. They live in a wide range of habitats and are often dominant in subalpine and alpine vegetation. Despite the well-supported circumscription of Celmisiinae, uncertainties have remained about their internal relationships and classification at genus and species levels. This study exploited recent advances in high-throughput sequencing to build a robust multi-gene phylogeny for the subtribe Celmisiinae. The target enrichment Angiosperms353 bait set and the hybpiper-nf and paragone-nf pipelines were used to retrieve, infer, and assemble orthologous loci from 75 taxa representing all the main putative clades within the subtribe. Because of the diploidised ploidy level in Celmisiinae, as well as missing data in the assemblies, uncertainty remains surrounding the inference of orthology detection. However, based on a variety of gene-family sets, coalescent and concatenation-based phylogenetic reconstructions recovered similar topologies. Paralogy and missing data in the gene-families caused some problems, but the estimated phylogenies were well-supported and well-resolved. The phylogenomic evidence supported Celmisiinae and three main clades: the Pleurophyllum clade (Pleurophyllum, Macrolearia and Damnamenia), mostly in the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands, Celmisia of mainland New Zealand and Australia, and Shawia (including ‘Olearia pro parte’ and Pachystegia) of New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea. The results presented here add to the accumulating support for the Angiosperms353 bait set as an efficient method for documenting plant diversity.

New records of fungi on Nephelium lappaceum (Rambutan) from northern Thailand

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) is a seasonal fruit crop in Thailand. Thailand is a major exporter of rambutan, but its yield is compromised by fungal infections. Only a few studies have focused on fungi infecting this host plant in Thailand. Therefore, we investigated fungi from Nephelium lappaceum from northern Thailand and identified three new host records, along with new geographical records. The three fungi are Rhytidhysteron neorufulum, Scolecobasidium spiralihyphum, and Wiesneriomyces laurinus and all are described based on morphology and multigene phylogeny (ITS, LSU, SSU, tef, and β-tub). These findings provide substantial new data about fungal communities associated with the host, their geographic distribution and their effectiveness in ecosystem function. Herbarium specimens and pure cultures were deposited in the Mae Fah Luang University Fungarium and culture collection.