Similar Species Research Articles

Cryptic diversity of Leurus wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Metopiinae), parasitoids of caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica

As a consequence of COI barcoding hundreds of reared specimens of what appeared to be Leurus caeruliventris, a parasitoid of leaf-rolling Crambidae (Lepidoptera) from the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, and matching them with their host caterpillars and morphological traits, we describe ten new sympatric species and redescribe L. caeruliventris. The new species, authored by Zuñiga & Valerio, are: Leurus billeberhardi, L. henrytownesi, L. hugokonsi, L. iangauldi, L. jesusugaldei, L. marjorietownesae, L. maryjanewestae, L. pammitchellae, L. sondrawardae, and L. wahli. We also provide an illustrated key to the eleven species and an ecological glimpse into the lives of these very similar wasp species.

High functional vulnerability across the world’s deep-sea hydrothermal vent communities

At the nearly pristine hydrothermal vents of the deep sea, highly endemic animals depend upon bacteria nourished by hydrothermal fluids that emerge as outflows from the seafloor. These animals are remarkable in tolerating extreme conditions, including high heat, toxic reduced sulfide, and low oxygen. Here, we test whether the extreme vent environment has selected for functionally similar species across the world's deep ocean, despite well-established global geographic patterns of high phylogenetic distinctness. High functional redundancy in species pools within regions suggests that the extreme environments select for species with specific traits. Yet, some regions emerge as functional hotspots where species pools with distinct functional trait compositions may represent geological idiosyncrasies of the habitats. Moreover, many species are functionally unique, an outcome of low species richness in a system where the species pool is small at all scales. Given the high proportion of functionally unique species, simulated species extinctions indicate that species losses would rapidly translate to the elimination of functionally irreplaceable species and could tip vent systems to functional collapse. Ocean changes and human-induced threats are expected to significantly impact many vent species as human activities expand in the remote deep sea. The opportunity exists now to take precautionary actions to limit the rates of extinction now ubiquitous in more accessible areas of Earth.

What is the True Karyotype of <i>Bufotes latastii</i> (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae)?

The karyotype is one of the most important characteristics of an animal species and can be very useful for identifying taxa. The chromosome sets of the West Himalayan endemic Ladakh toad, Bufotes latastii, were previously described in several papers, but differed greatly from each other. To deal with these contradictions, we re-examined the karyotype of B. latastii from India and compared it with the sets of chromosomes of the most morphologically similar toad species inhabiting East Asia. It turned out that the diploid set of B. latastii consists of 22 chromosomes (2n = 22; NF = 44), of which six pairs are large and five are small. As a rule, the 4th, 5th, and 7th pairs of chromosomes are submetacentric and all the others are metacentric. The chromosomal formula is 2n = 16 m + + 6 sm = 22. The nucleolar organizers (NOR) in B. latastii are located on the long arms of submetacentric chromosomes of the 5th pair, which greatly distinguishes this species from most diploid species of the genus Bufotes. Karyotypes of two other studied species (Duttaphrynus stomaticus and Strauchbufo raddei), which can be morphologically similar to B. latastii, also consist of 22 chromosomes (2n = 22; NF = 44) of which six pairs are large and five are small, but there is only a pair of submetacentric chromosomes (2n = 20 m + 2 sm = 22). The most notable differences between these three species were in the position of NORs. In B. latastii they were located in the telomeric region of the long arm of the 5th pair, in D. stomaticus in the submedial region of the short arm of the 7th pair, and in S. raddei in the telomeric region of the short arm of the 4th pair. Discriminant analyses of the relative length of chromosomes and centromeric indices also revealed significant differences between the karyotypes of these three species. Our study made it possible to clearly distinguish B. latastii from D. stomaticus and S. raddei by karyotype characteristics. This may be important if it is necessary to identify East Asian morphologically similar toad species.

Removal of airborne particulate matter by evergreen tree species in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Urban air quality stands as a pressing concern in cities globally, with airborne particulate matter (PM) emerging as a significant threat to human health. An investigation was carried out to examine the potential of four prevalent evergreen roadside tree species grown at different locations in Dhaka to capture PM using their leaves. The distribution of PM by mass and quantity in Dhaka are presented for the first time for Bangladesh and these results will also be applicable to countries with similar climates and tree species. Separate gravimetric analyses were carried out to quantify PM in three different size ranges (0.2–2.5 μm, 2.5–10 μm, and 10–100 μm) accumulated on surfaces and trapped within waxes by using the rinse and weigh method. The method is validated for the first time through SEM-EDX analysis, which confirmed that the increase in weight from chloroform-rinsed leaves was exclusively attributable to particle deposition on the filter. The chemical composition of the deposited PM2.5 was analyzed quantitatively by determining the concentration of twenty-five trace elements employing ICP-MS. SEM-EDX analysis revealed the significance of leaf microstructural traits in effectively capturing PM. Significant variations in the deposition of PM were found among different species for two PM categories (surface PM and wax-embedded PM) and three size fractions (large, coarse, and fine) (one-way ANOVA; p < 0.05). The quantity of wax retained on the foliage of trees documented in these locations also varied (p < 0.05). Among the species studied, Ficus benghalensis demonstrated a greater ability to retain PM. Mangifera indica was identified to be the most efficient collector of wax-related PM and appears to be the ideal species for traffic-heavy areas distinguished by high concentrations of organic compounds from vehicle emissions.

&lt;i&gt;Cercidospora parva&lt;/i&gt; new for Poland and some other noteworthy records of lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi from the Karkonosze Mountains

Three noteworthy epilithic lichens species,&lt;i&gt; Porpidia flavocruenta&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;P. thomsonii&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Rhizocarpon cinereovirens&lt;/i&gt;, and two lichenicolous fungi, &lt;i&gt;Cercidospora parva&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Abrothallus&lt;/i&gt; aff. &lt;i&gt;caerulescens&lt;/i&gt; were recently recorded in the Polish part of the Karkonosze Mountains. &lt;i&gt;Cercidospora parva&lt;/i&gt; is reported from Poland for the first time. &lt;i&gt;Abrothallus&lt;/i&gt; aff. &lt;i&gt;caerulescens&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Porpidia thomsonii&lt;/i&gt; are new for the Western Sudetes. &lt;i&gt;Rhizocarpon cinereovirens&lt;/i&gt; has been rediscovered in the Karkonosze Mountains afer over a century. &lt;i&gt;Porpidia flavocruenta&lt;/i&gt; is known in Poland only from the Karkonosze Mountains, it is reported here from a new substrate, hornfels. Descriptions, notes on similar species, habitat preferences, and distribution of each species are provided.

Luticola centraloporea sp. nov.—a new diatom (Bacillariophyceae: Diadesmidaceae) species from Europe and North America

Among the diatoms of the genus Luticola D.G.Mann, many have elliptical and linear-elliptic valves. Most of these species have been incorrectly identified in the past as the brackish water taxon Luticola mutica. In the present work, we describe a new terrestrial species—Luticola centraloporea sp. nov. The species has a similar outline to Luticola mutica but is distinguished from all other similar taxa in the genus due to the unique position of the isolated pore, which is located practically in the middle of the valves. The new taxon was observed with two populations, one from North America, and a second one from Europe, suggesting that it may actually have a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. The new species is compared with morphologically similar species of the genus.

Morpho-molecular analysis of two new species Deconica and Entocybe in Agaricales from Mount Tianmu, China.

Two new species of Agaricales, Deconicaflavum and Entocyberoseoalbus, are described from Mount Tianmu, Zhejiang Province, Eastern China. Two new species are distinct and monophyletic based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses. Deconicaflavum differs from other Deconica species in that the pileus is brow shallow in the center and stipe with yellowish white fibrils, scatted on litter under coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest at 1162 m. Entocyberoseoalbus is distinguished from other species of Entocybe by nearly blue pileus and pinkish-white stipe, scatted on humus in similar forest conditions at 1025 m. The differences are discussed between the two new taxa and their similar species morphologically, and related species phylogenetically.

Genomic characterization and survey of a second luteovirus infecting blueberries

New and emerging viral problems may be contributing to blueberry decline. In this research we described a new virus detected in Oregon blueberry production field and surveyed the region for its potential spread. The complete genome sequence of a putative new member of the genus Luteovirus was obtained from blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) by high throughput sequencing and 5’/3’-RACE. The new virus was tentatively named blueberry virus M (BlVM). Its genome is 5,018 nt long with four putative open reading frames. Similarly to some recently discovered luteoviruses, BlVM does not possess any movement protein (MP). Phylogenetic analysis confirmed clustering of BlVM with the group of non-MP luteoviruses, showing blueberry virus L (BlVL) as the most similar species. Through a small-scale high throughput sequencing survey we obtained 14 additional near complete genomic sequences. A larger survey of 2,654 samples by RT-PCR in Oregon and Washington (USA) found 52 BlVM-positive plants collected from four locations in Oregon. These findings will facilitate monitoring virus distribution and assessment of potential disease associated with this new and emerging blueberry virus.

Lobelia capixaba, a new microendemic species of L. sect. Rhynchopetalum (Campanulaceae) from Espírito Santo, Brazil

We describe and illustrate Lobelia capixaba, a new species of L. sect. Rhynchopetalum. The species is endemic to the state of Espírito Santo, known only from a few locations in Forno Grande State Park and surrounding areas. The unilabiate corolla with all lobes free at the apex and convolute is crucial to recognize the taxon as a distinct entity. The flower color is also notable, which can be whole in a single color or composed of a gradient of tones ranging from whitish or greenish to pink shades along the inflorescence. The species is compared to L. organensis, L. exaltata and L. hassleri, the morphologically most similar species. It is also compared to L. fistulosa and L. thapsoidea, as these species have overlapping distributions. An identification key for the South American species of L. sect. Rhynchopetalum is provided, along with comments on the species’ occurrence area and morphological variation, a distribution map, photographs, and SEM images of the seeds.

Microtropis gulinqingensis, a new dioecious species of Celastraceae from China

A new species of Celastraceae, Microtropis gulinqingensis, is discovered in the dynamic plot of Gulinqing Provincial Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China. After two-year observations of 65 individual plants in the field, we found that this species presented unique traits of being dioecious and having highly connate petals in its male flowers. We compared it with similar species and those in Microtropis distributed across the adjacent regions, and the morphological evidence supports the recognition of Microtropis gulinqingensis as a new species. A comprehensive description and photographs of this new species are provided.

Development of an Effective Sterilization Protocol for Plant Tissue Culture Studies in Superfruit Aronia [Aronia melanocarpa (Michaux) Elliot

Effective sterilization protocols are crucial for a successful tissue culture study in Aronia. These protocols directly influence contamination rates, shoot health, and root development. In this context, the aim of the study is to develop an effective sterilization protocol for plant tissue culture studies in Aronia [Aronia melanocarpa (Michaux) Elliot], commonly known as the "superfruit." In study, shoot tips of the Nero Aronia variety were used as material. The sterilized shoot tips were transferred to the respective plant tissue culture media in a randomized parcels trial pattern with three replicates, each containing three explants per replicate. Various concentrations and combinations of sterilizing agents, such as sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), mercuric chloride (HgCl2), and ethanol (C2H5OH), were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in maintaining tissue health and reducing contamination. A total of twelve protocols were developed, incorporating different concentrations of these chemicals. The results showed that the combination of 5% NaOCl and 3% H2O2 provided the lowest average contamination rate (5%) and the highest average number of healthy (uncontaminated) explants (9.00 piece), demonstrating the sterilization efficiency of this combination. On the other hand, protocols containing HgCl2, especially at higher concentrations, resulted in impaired root development. High ethanol concentrations also contributed to effective sterilization, with the combination of 7% NaOCl and 80% ethanol yielding a low contamination rate (8%) and preserving tissue health. This study emphasizes the need to balance sterilization protocols between effective contamination control and tissue viability. The findings are expected to benefit the improvement and development of tissue culture techniques for Aronia and similar species, providing a basis for further research on effective sterilization practices, which are currently limited in Aronia tissue culture.

Multiple Reaction Monitoring-Mass Spectrometric Immunoassay Analysis of Parathyroid Hormone Fragments with Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus.

Current immunoassay techniques for analyzing clinically relevant parathyroid hormone (PTH) circulating fragments cannot distinguish microheterogeneity among structurally similar molecular species. This hinders the identification of molecular species and the capture of target analyte information. Since structural modifications are important in disease pathways, mass spectrometry can detect, identify, and quantify heterogeneous ligands captured by antibodies. We aimed to create a sensitive and selective multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometric immunoassay analysis (MRM-MSIA)-based method for detecting and quantifying PTH fragments or proteoforms for clinical research. Our study established MRM transitions using triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry for the signature peptides of five PTH fragments. This method was validated according to FDA guidelines, employing the mass spectrometric immunoassay (MSIA) protocol to bolster detection selectivity and sensitivity. This validated approach was applied by analyzing samples from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with and without vitamin D deficiency. We found serum PTH fragments associated with vitamin D deficiency in patients with and without T2DM. We developed and validated the MRM-MSIA technique specifically designed for the detection and quantification (amino acid (aa38-44), (aa45-51), and (aa65-75)) of these fragments associated with vitamin D deficiency and T2DM. This study is the first to accurately quantify plasma PTH fragments using MRM-MSIA, demonstrating its potential for clinical diagnostics.

Seasonal variability of epipelic microphytobenthos community in two subtidal areas of the Northern Adriatic Sea

We investigated the biodiversity and seasonality of subtidal benthic diatoms at two sites of the Northern Adriatic Sea differently affected by anthropogenic inputs. Sediment samples were collected seasonally, and diatom cells were then separated from the sediment using the density gradient centrifugation method. The total abundance of benthic diatoms ranged between 4,409 ± 1,638 and 77,663 ± 30,415 cells cm-2 and the biomass between 0.41 ± 0.22 and 3.66 ± 2.01 μg C cm-2. At both stations, the benthic diatoms showed a marked seasonal pattern, with maximum abundance, biomass and biodiversity in spring and minimum in summer. Motile life forms, such as Navicula, Nitzschia, Fallacia, and Psammodictyon, dominated in terms of abundance at both stations throughout the study period, while plocon (centric diatoms mainly belonging to Biddulphiaceae) increased under mixing conditions, when they represented the largest contributor to biomass. At both stations and in all seasons, the Si:N:P ratio highlighted the strong P limitation, typical of the Adriatic Sea. The ammonium concentration was the highest component of DIN in spring and summer when we observed the highest and lowest MPB abundance respectively. The preference of diatoms for ammonia, coupled with the increased daylight period, may have enhanced the spring growth, whereas in summer the hypoxic conditions may have caused a decrease. Despite the different environmental conditions, the two stations exhibited similar species compositions and seasonal trends, highlighting relative stability against anthropogenic pressures of a different nature.

Same Day Access to Folded Synthetic Proteins.

Understanding protein function is a cornerstone of modern biology. Research centers worldwide dedicate significant efforts to prepare individual proteins for study, the isolation and purification of which can take days to months. We developed a workflow that enables same-day access to functional synthetic proteins. Chemical synthesis provides access to crude protein chains in hours, but the removal of the synthetic side products is typically a days-long process. We find that chemical modifications on side products lead to significant and unpredictable changes in the folding behavior. Consistent with these findings, we discovered that approaches based on biophysical properties characteristic of the folded protein target can discriminate against chemically similar species. Confirming our protocol with nine protein targets, we show that appropriate desalting followed by different folding strategies enables isolation of functional single-domain proteins in hours instead of days. Each target was isolated in under 10 h, including some proteins with post-translational modifications, non-natural amino acids, and disulfide bonds. Rapid biological discovery requires on-demand access to proteins, and the folding pipeline described here is uniquely suited to enabling these efforts. The folding process presented here was not assessed on complex proteins, and therefore, it may require further optimization in those cases.

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.