Similar Species Research Articles

Licea nemotatarica sp. nov.—a corticolous myxomycete from northern nemoral border of Eastern European boreal ecotone

A morphologically atypical corticuloid representative of Licea was discovered at the northern border of the distribution of broadleaved forests in Eastern Europe. The species, named L. nemotatarica, contains several morphological and ecological features that strongly distinguish it from similar species such as L. nigromarginata, L. tuberculata, L. mariae and L. castanea. These include the peculiar light silvery or golden-green colouring of the smooth spores, their relatively small size, the wavy fusion of the peridium plate, the concentration of granular material on the surface in the form of a relief pattern, and the fact that it lives in the slightly alkaline and neutral environment of the bark of deciduous trees. The species also does not spread outside the forest protection zone established by Emperor Peter the Great in the 18th century. Based on the calculation of spore productivity, we assume that the species inhabits primarily the bark of Quercus robur and Tilia cordata, and secondarily Acer platanoides and Populus tremula, where it becomes active only after reaching a certain alkalinity in the cultures during decomposition.

Fruit and seed of Eriotheca dolichopoda (Malvaceae) revealed after 45 years: Emended description, typification, new records, and conservation status of a poorly known Atlantic Forest species

Eriotheca dolichopoda (Malvaceae) is a tree species endemic to Atlantic Forest in the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. Its fruit and seed were unknown and had not been illustrated. Herein we describe and illustrate for the first time the fruit and seed of E. dolichopoda, provide an emended morphological description, designate a lectotype, and designate an epitype to permit a precise application of the name. We also discuss morphological variation in E. dolichopoda and its affinities with similar species. Finally, we use fieldwork and herbarium data to provide a distribution map and an updated conservation assessment of E. dolichopoda based on IUCN criteria.

The identity of Centrodinium elongatum, type species of the dinoflagellate genus Centrodinium (Dinophyceae), and a review on the synonymy of allied species.

The planktonic dinoflagellate genus Centrodinium has been understudied, with the type species C. elongatum remaining undocumented since the original description. Here, we report C. elongatum isolated from Mazatlán, Mexican Pacific. In the chains, the posterior daughter cell with an incomplete apical horn shows the morphology of C. elongatum, while the anterior daughter cell with complete epitheca corresponds to C. pulchrum. For the first time, a species of Centrodinium sensu stricto (highly laterally flattened species with horns) was cultured. An unarmored life stage, known as Murrayella ovalis, derived from the spheroplast after ecdysis. In the rDNA molecular phylogenies, C. elongatum (=C. pulchrum) nested as basal to morphologically similar species (C. eminens and C. intermedium) and as a sister group of a former Murrayella species, C. punctatum. C. elongatum differs from C. eminens and C. intermedium in the chain formation, second apical (2') plate not being divided, horns with coarse poroid ornamentation, and missing prominent distal spinules. The taxonomy of Centrodinium sensu stricto is revised, with a discussion in the identities of C. complanatum, C. eminens, and C. maximum. The name C. deflexum is restored as a senior synonym of C. intermedium and C. ovale.

Application of Paired Correlation Algorithms for the Distance Matrices Between DNA Chains

Authors:This paper is a continuation of some previous works by the authors. We consider various algorithms for calculating distances between genomes of similar species (we use primarily mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA) and various distance matrices between the same genomes obtained on the basis of these algorithms. We can say, just to simplify the situation a little, that all our publications on the subject of DNA analysis are associated with various applications of metrics set on such matrices. The paper also has a second subject, i.e., the study of the obtained distance matrices using special statistical characteristics. We consider two matrices obtained for the mtDNA of 32 species of monkeys; the species were selected so that they all belong to different genera. For them, we have obtained 2 matrices of distances between genomes corresponding to the Jaro –Winkler’s and Needleman –Wunsch’s algorithms. Next, we considered all the triangles obtained in these matrices, and for each of them we used a specially calculated badness. It is actually a measure of the deviation of the resulting triangle from some acuteangled isosceles one. For two sequences of such badness, we have considered variants of paired correlation. At the same time, in addition to the two standard pair correlation algorithms (Spearman’s and Kendall’s ones), we also considered a new algorithm proposed by us. The reason for considering this new algorithm is as follows. In the usual way of calculating the correlation, we consider only the set of pairwise values of two random variables, without taking into account the pairs themselves. Vice versa, in both of the mentioned pair correlation algorithms, despite their slight difference, we consider only the order of the elements in these pairs, not paying attention to the values themselves; we specifically note that this also applies to Spearman’s criterion, which is usually written about as being more suitable for measurements made on an ordinal scale. In our proposed algorithm, we tried to take into account both the value of both random variables and their order in pairs. The results obtained are of interest. Thus, the “pole” variants (i.e., the usual correlation formula and standard pair correlation algorithms) show some (though very small) correlation between two sequences of 4960 pairs of triangles: from 0.1 to 0.4, depending on the specific algorithm, on whether preliminary normalization was carried out, etc. And the “intermediate” variant (taking into account both the order of pairs and the values of random variables) showed a complete lack of connection: the absolute value of the correlation coefficient did not exceed 0.006. Even more interesting is another result obtained in the work, which can be called a small connection between two well-known algorithms for determining the distances between genomes, namely, algorithms of Jaro –Winkler and Needleman –Wunsch.

Review of Oriental species of the genus Atopotrophos (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

A new species of tryphonine Darwin Wasps in the genus Atopotrophos Cushman, 1919, (A. bubeng sp. nov.). is described from Bubeng, Mueang La, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. The new species can be distinguished from all other Atopotrophos species by having 35 flagellomeres, a very short malar space, both scutellum and postscutellum with apical teeth, and from the most similar species, A. spiniger, by its larger size, longer area superomedia, longer T1, and shorter ovipositor. Re-descriptions, illustrations of holotype specimens of A. chinensis and A. spiniger are provided. The type localities of these species are defined, and approximate coordinates and habitat description are added. A key for Oriental species is provided.

Yersinochloanianheana (Poaceae, Bambusoideae), a new species from southern Vietnam.

Yersinochloanianheana sp. nov. from Vietnam is described and illustrated. It is found in southern Vietnam, where it occurs at an elevation of 1400-1500 m in Voi Mountain, Duc Trong District, Lam Dong Province. This new species is distinguished from a similar species, Yersinochloadalatensis, by culm nodes with a thick swollen patella, culm leaf blades erect, auricles conspicuous, margins bearing long hairs, palea dorsal view showing rachilla extension and rudimentary floret at the apex and lodicules purple gradually towards the top. Besides that, the species is distinguished from Yersinochloanghiana by the leaf blades without being swollen at the base, the prophyllate bud 2-keeled, lodicules purple at ½ upper parts and unbifid at the base.

Dietary patterns drive loss of fiber-foraging species in the celiac disease patients gut microbiota compared to first-degree relatives

BackgroundCeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by dietary gluten in genetically predisposed individuals that primarily affects the small intestine. Studies have reported differentially abundant bacterial taxa in the gut microbiota of celiac patients compared with non-celiac controls. However, findings across studies have inconsistencies and no microbial signature of celiac disease has been defined so far.ResultsHere, we showed, by comparing celiac patients with their non-celiac 1st-degree relatives, that bacterial communities of related individuals have similar species occurrence and abundance compared with non-relatives, regardless the disease status. We also found in celiac patients a loss of bacterial species associated with fiber degradation, and host metabolic and immune modulation, as ruminiclostridia, ruminococci, Prevotella, and Akkermansia muciniphila species. We demonstrated that the differential abundance of bacterial species correlates to different dietary patterns observed between the two groups. For instance, Ruminiclostridium siraeum, Ruminococcus bicirculans, and Bacteroides plebeious, recognized as fiber-degraders, appear more abundant in non-celiac 1st-degree relatives, which have a vegetable consumption pattern higher than celiac patients. Pattern of servings per day also suggests a possible link between these species’ abundance and daily calorie intake.ConclusionsOverall, we evidenced that a kinship approach could be valuable in unveiling potential celiac disease microbial traits, as well as the significance of dietary factors in shaping microbial profiles and their influence on disease development and progression. Our results pave the way for designing and adopting novel dietary strategies based on gluten-free fiber-enriched ingredients to improve disease management and patients' quality of life.

Assessment of the Possibility of Using the Trace Element Status of a Herbal Drug as an Additional Quality Criterion: Chamomile Flowers as a Case Study

INTRODUCTION. Herbal drugs can often be difficult to identify and distinguish from morphologically similar species, especially when fractionated. For the analysis of complex mixtures of herbal origin, it is reasonable to use additional identification methods, including hierarchical clustering of herbal drugs by their trace element content.AIM. This study aimed to assess the possibility of using hierarchical clustering by trace element content for complex biological matrices (plant mixtures), with officinal chamomile species as a case study.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Multiple morphologically similar species grow together with officinal chamomile species that are widely used in medical practice. The study examined the flowers and peduncles of Matricaria recutita L., Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Sch.Bip., Leucanthemum vulgare Lam., Tripleurospermum inodorum (L.) Sch.Bip., and Matricaria suaveolens Buchenau, as well as artificial mixtures of chamomile with adulterant species (as samples non-compliant with pharmacopoeial specifi ca tions). The content of trace elements was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The statistical treatment of the results used Statistica 10 software with a built-in data analysis algorithm for multivariate experiments.RESULTS. Having determined the content of 56 trace elements, the authors plotted a hierarchical cluster tree using cluster analysis methods. M. recutita and M. suaveolens were shown to be the closest to each other in terms of their trace element status, which correlated with their taxonomy. Artificial plant mixtures formed intermediate clusters that were observed between different chamomile species. Moreover, according to the criterion of dissimilarity, the trace element cluster of M. recutita significantly differed from the trace element clusters of all the adulterant species and mixtures containing more than 10% of the adulterant species.CONCLUSIONS. This study demonstrated the possibility of using hierarchical clustering based on the content of trace elements in a biological object to analyse complex systems, including plant mixtures, and identify differences that may have discriminative value for the quality control of herbal drugs.

New species <i>Telipogon</i> (Oncidiinae) from Bolivia

Telipogon minutus, from the Carrasco National Park in the Bolivian Yungas, is proposed as a new species. Plants of T. minutus, which reach up to 4 cm in height, are the smallest known Bolivian Telipogon. The new species is characterized by its oblong to ovate labellum, which is weakly sub-auriculate and retuse at the base, with a semi-circular stigma, a column with two lateral lobes and a mammillary protuberance at the apex, and two tufts of setae with trifurcate apices. A description, figures, and a distributional map of the new taxon are provided, along with a discussion of the differences between the new species and morphologically similar Telipogon species.

Investigating the phytochemical profile, biological potentials, morphological, and anatomical characteristics of Cyclotrichium origanifolium (Labill.) Manden. & Scheng. (Lamiaceae) from Turkey.

Cyclotrichium origanifolium, a plant widely used in Eastern and Southern Anatolia for culinary purposes, was subject of this study, which aimed to comprehensively evaluate its potential therapeutic applications. This research stands out due to its holistic approach, combining morpho-anatomical studies, chemical, and biological analyses to explore antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticholinesterase, genotoxic, and anti-genotoxic effects of methanolic and aqueous extracts, as well as flowering aerial part essential oil. It is a perennial plant, typically ranging from 10 to 40cm in height, with a suffrutescent and highly branched growth habit. Essential oils are produced within glandular trichomes. Oil, analyzed via GC-MS/MS, revealed 24 compounds accounting for 96.4% of oil, with isomenthone (52.4%), pulegone (23.4%), and β-pinene (9.5%) as predominant components. These findings are significant as they provide new insights into chemical composition of oils, particularly highlighting pharmacologically active compounds. Methanol extract exhibited superior antioxidant activity, correlated with high phenol and tannin content. Essential oil showed moderate inhibition of α-amylase (49.54%) and mild inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (11.84%) and butyrylcholinesterase (16.93%), suggesting potential in managing oxidative stress and neurodegenerative diseases. Study also conducted biosafety evaluations using Ames/Salmonella and Allium tests, essential for assessing genotoxic and antigenotoxic potential of natural products. Notably, significant antimicrobial effects were identified, particularly against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis. Comprehensive analysis and discovery of significant bioactivities position this research as a valuable contribution to field, distinguishing it from previous studies on similar species. This study provides a foundational understanding of morpho-anatomical, pharmacological, biological properties of plant, opening avenues for future research.

Evidence for inbreeding depression in captive Damaraland mole-rats.

Mating between closely related individuals can result in a reduction in offspring fitness, known as inbreeding depression. Here, we investigate whether breeding with close relatives affects the reproductive output of parents and the development of their offspring in Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis), a cooperatively breeding species where females avoid mating with familiar individuals. By cross-fostering litters of pups soon after birth, we were able to form breeding pairs from full siblings that were reared apart. We compared the reproductive output of these sibling pairs and the survival and growth of their pups with that of unrelated pairs over a period of 4 years. The litter sizes and interbirth intervals of sibling pairs did not differ from those of unrelated pairs, but the growth and survival of inbred offspring were lower, showing that breeding between close relatives is associated with substantial fitness costs. This study suggests that inbreeding depression is an important driver of the extreme reproductive skew observed in social mole-rats. Studies of the costs of inbred matings are now needed in similar species, such as naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber), where captive females more commonly breed with close relatives, to determine whether these costs are lower than in Damaraland mole-rats.

Crinipellis siamensis (Marasmiaceae, Agaricales), a new macrofungus from northern Thailand

A new Crinipellis species, described herein as C. siamensis, was collected from northern Thailand during the rainy seasons in 2022 and 2023. This species was identified based on morphological characteristics and molecular data. Crinipellis siamensis is characterized by its crinipelloid basidiomata, grayish orange to brown pileus, elongated to cylindrical basidiospores, and hair-like terminal cells on the pileus surface. Phylogenetic analysis of combined internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the large subunit (nrLSU) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) regions revealed that C. siamensis is well-supported as a distinct monophyletic member within the genus Crinipellis. A full description, color photographs, illustrations, and a phylogenetic tree showing the position of C. siamensis are provided. Morphologically similar and related species to the new species are also discussed.

DNA barcoding of southern African mammal species and construction of a reference library for forensic application.

Combating wildlife crimes in South Africa requires accurate identification of traded species and their products. Diagnostic morphological characteristics needed to identify species are often lost when specimens are processed and customs officials lack the expertise to identify species. As a potential solution, DNA barcoding can be used to identify morphologically indistinguishable specimens in forensic cases. However, barcoding is hindered by the reliance on comprehensive, validated DNA barcode reference databases, which are currently limited. To overcome this limitation, we constructed a barcode library of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and cytochrome b sequences for threatened and protected mammals exploited in southern Africa. Additionally, we included closely related or morphologically similar species and assessed the database's ability to identify species accurately. Published southern African sequences were incorporated to estimate intraspecific and interspecific variation. Neighbor-joining trees successfully discriminated 94%-95% of the taxa. However, some widespread species exhibited high intraspecific distances (>2%), suggesting geographic sub-structuring or cryptic speciation. Lack of reliable published data prevented the unambiguous discrimination of certain species. This study highlights the efficacy of DNA barcoding in species identification, particularly for forensic applications. It also highlights the need for a taxonomic re-evaluation of certain widespread species and challenging genera.

Description of Chelidura gansuensis sp. nov. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) from Gansu Province, China

A new species of Chelidura Latreille, 1825 (Dermaptera: Forficulidae), Chelidura gansuensis sp. nov., collected from Jiutianshimen Mountain, Gansu Province, China, is described and illustrated based on male and female adults. Chelidura gansuensis sp. nov. is characterized by the strongly undulating forceps bearing giant dorsal and ventral tubercles. The morphological comparison is made between the new species and the similar species Chelidura semenovi (Bey-Bienko, 1934). The type localities of Chelidura species from China are clarified. An updated key to Chinese species of Chelidura is also provided.

New species of Tricholoma in sections Genuina and Fucata from eastern North America

Six new species of Tricholoma (Fr.) Staude in sections Genuina ( Tricholoma amarissimum, Tricholoma lutescentifolium, Tricholoma pudorinum, Tricholoma sapineum) and Fucata ( Tricholoma griseobrunneum, Tricholoma pallidogriseum) are formally described from North America east of the Rocky Mountains based on their nrITS sequence, morphology, ecology, and distribution patterns. Those species are found in summer or fall in deciduous or coniferous forests. Descriptions of their morphological characters are provided, along with photographs of the basidiomata and their micromorphology. The new species are compared with similar species occurring in North America and Europe. Tricholoma felschii Ovrebo, Hughes & Halling, in section Fucata, is here considered to represent three species, T. felschii s. str., Tricholoma subumbrinum A.H. Sm., and the newly described T. griseobrunneum. Emended descriptions of the first two species are provided to accommodate the new concepts.

A checklist of moths in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, in the western Himalayan foothills, India

In the first ever enumeration of moth diversity of Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, India, located mostly in the Shivalik range, 82 species/morphospecies were reported, at least 22 of which are new records for Himachal Pradesh, and five are new records for Western Himalayas. In addition to a list of moths for the district supplemented with photographs, identification keys for similar species, larval host plants for species, and a near exhaustive dataset of distribution of the species/genera within and outside India are also provided.

Exposure assessment and semi-quantitative risk analysis of histamine in tuna and tuna-like fish from Indonesia

This study aimed to investigate histamine exposure associated with consumption of fresh tuna and tuna-like species in West Java, and to estimate risk of Scombroid Fish Poisoning (SFP) in Indonesia. A range of species, including tuna (Thunnus spp.), bullet tuna ( Auxis sp.), and skipjack ( Katsuwonus pelamis ) were collected from local markets and fish landing sites. Subsequently, histamine concentrations were determined using NMR analysis and exposure was calculated in mg/day for toddlers, children, and adults. The results showed that skipjack had the highest histamine exposure for all age groups, followed by bullet and regular tuna. The highest EDI for histamine was from skipjack consumption, accounting for 38.67; 37.77 and 20.74 percentage of exposure for toddlers, children and adults, respectively. These values are below the defined thresholds levels (ARfD), indicating no potential risk of acute health effect. Cooked bullet tuna and skipjack were estimated to cause similar illnesses, accounting for 6–7 cases per 100,000 individuals, which was higher than cooked tuna at 1–2 cases per 100,000 individuals. Considering the preparation of raw tuna in restaurants following Good Hygienic Practices (GHP), the predicted annual cases decreased significantly to 4–5 cases per million individuals. This risk estimation only considered histamine levels in fresh fish, without including data from fish preparation. Therefore, further studies were recommended to estimate the risk level in raw/fresh tuna and similar species before consumption.

Two new species and a new record of Entolomatoid fungi (Entolomataceae, Agaricales) from Pakistan

Taxonomic investigations on the family Entolomataceae were conducted in Pakistan from 2018 to 2022. Morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analyses using ITS and LSU sequences revealed two new species, Entoloma pakistanicum and Rhodophana margallensis, and a new record, E. albotomentosum. Rhodophana margallensis is the first report of the genus Rhodophana from Pakistan. We present illustrated descriptions of the three species and comparison with morphologically similar or related species. Furthermore, we provide a key to the known species of Entoloma from Pakistan.

From small water bodies to lakes: Exploring the diversity of freshwater bacteria in an Alpine Biosphere Reserve

Small water bodies, although supporting high biodiversity, are often understudied in the Alpine region. In this work, we characterized the planktic and benthic bacterial communities, as well as the water chemistry, of a wide physiographic range of 19 freshwater bodies within an Alpine Biosphere Reserve, including ponds, pasture ponds, peat bogs, shallow lakes, and lakes. We collected both water and surface sediment samples, followed by metabarcoding analysis based on the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. We investigated the changes in biodiversity and the distribution of unique and shared amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) between water (11,829 ASVs) and surface sediment (19,145 ASVs) habitats, as well as across different freshwater typologies. The majority of ASVs (78 %) were unique to a single sample, highlighting the variability and uniqueness of bacterial communities in such freshwater bodies. Most freshwater environments showed higher α-diversity in sediment samples (median, 1469 ASVs) compared to water (468 ASVs). We found that water and sediment habitats harboured unique bacterial communities with significant differences in their taxonomic compositions. Benthic bacteria were associated with several biogeochemical and degradative processes occurring in the sediments, with no notable differences among freshwater typologies and with phylogenetically and ecologically similar species. Conversely, planktic communities showed greater heterogeneity: small water bodies and peat bogs were characterized by higher relative abundances of Patescibacteria (up to 33 %), while lakes and shallow lakes were dominated by Actinobacteriota (up to 36 %). Cyanobacteria (426 ASVs) were generally distributed at low abundances in both water and sediment habitats. Overall, our results provided essential insights into the bacterial ecology of understudied environments such as ponds and pasture ponds and highlighted the importance of further exploring their rich pelagic and benthic bacterial biodiversity.

Identification of morphologically similar genera based on reproductive systems and immature stages: a case study of Anastatus and Mesocomys (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae)

Abstract Parallel or convergent evolution may result in phenotypically closely similar species. Many studies have reported that using solely traditional external morphological features can result in misidentification. Here, we discuss using the reproductive systems and immature developmental stages for scientific classification in Eupelmidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), exemplifying with Anastatus Motschulsky and Mesocomys Cameron (Eupelmidae, Eupelminae). Results show that there are at least 6 distinct differences in the immature stages and the reproductive systems of the adults between species of the 2 genera: (1) the terminal ends of the left and right ovarioles are connected together in the studied species of Anastatus but not in Mesocomys, (2) the base of the lateral oviduct of Anastatus has a diverticulum that is lobate-shaped, whereas this diverticulum is spherical in Mesocomys, (3) the peduncle of the egg of Anastatus is significantly longer than that of Mesocomys, (4) the head capsule of the terminal instar larvae of Anastatus is uniformly translucent, whereas in Mesocomys it has a brown pattern, (5) the ocelli of the Anastatus pupa are smooth and slightly raised whereas the ocelli of Mesocomys each have a long filament each, and (6) the phallobase of adult male Anastatus is sharp basally but rounded in Mesocomys. Our findings not only provide novel insights for the differentiation of similar genera that can be difficult to distinguish in the immature stages but also provide a more comprehensive theoretical basis for clarifying the evolutionary and phylogenic status of Anastatus and Mesocomys.