Australasian Species Research Articles

Taxonomic revision of fleshy species of Hydnellum, Neosarcodon, and Sarcodon (Thelephorales) from Australasia

ABSTRACT Stipitate Thelephorales are basidiomycetous, mostly hydnoid, ectomycorrhizal fungi. Some species have declined considerably, and some are threat-listed as vulnerable or endangered. These ecological concerns require a well-resolved taxonomy to understand diversity in this group of fungi and facilitate conservation. However, phylogenetic studies have mostly neglected Southern Hemisphere representatives. This study examines the fleshy species of stipitate Thelephorales from native forests in Australia and New Zealand, using morphological analyses and phylogenetic analyses of nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS barcode) and D1–D2 domains at the 5′ end of nuc 28S rDNA (28S) sequences amplified from DNA isolated from fungarium collections and environmental DNA (eDNA) sequences from the Australian Microbiome initiative. Five new species, Sarcodon austrofibulatus, Hydnellum gatesiae, H. nothofagacearum, H. pseudoioeides, and H. variisporum, are described, Sarcodon carbonarius is transferred to Neosarcodon, and a key is provided for the six named species in the region. Boletopsis and Neosarcodon are reported from Australia for the first time based on detections from eDNA in soil samples taken from native forests. The Australasian species of Hydnellum occupy a highly derived position with the phylogeny of the genus, the members of which are otherwise all from the Northern Hemisphere, suggestive of a long-distance dispersal origin for the Australasian species.

Genetic variability of New Caledonian Boeckella De Guerne & Richard, 1889 (Copepoda: Calanoida), with the description of a new species

Abstract Thirteen new freshwater populations of the copepod genus BoeckellaDe Guerne & Richard, 1889 were found during three expeditions to New Caledonia (‘La Planète Revisitée,’ 2016-2018). The 12 populations from the Plaine des Lacs, which show remarkable genetic diversity among themselves, were identified as B. spinogibbaDefaye, 1998, the only species of its genus known from New Caledonia until now. The sole exception, the population from Mont-Dore 22 km further east, appeared genetically and morphologically distinct from the others and is described herein as a new species. The two species are distinguished from each other by the shapes of the male and female P5, female Th5, and body colour. A previously published key is amended to separate the species. Our concatenated COI+28S phylogeny places the two New Caledonia species as a new branch within Boeckella, distinct from the branches consisting of South American, Antarctic and Australasian species. All 13 Boeckella populations inhabit the extreme south of New Caledonia, an area known for endemism and high heavy metal concentrations in the soil. Extensive mining activity in this metal-rich area, begun in 1873, is now leading to conflict with conservation goals. By using aerial photographs to trace the fate of the pond that is the type locality of B. spinogibba, we confirmed that it disappeared between 2007 and 2014 as a result of the expansion of the Goro nickel mine.

Additions to the genus Cliostomum (Ramalinaceae) from Australia

AbstractSeven species of Cliostomum Fr. recorded from Australia are treated. These include the widespread C. griffithii (Sm.) Coppins, the austral C. praepallidum (Müll. Arg.) Kantvilas & Fryday and the Tasmanian endemic C. vezdae Kantvilas, a reinstated name previously subsumed under C. flavidulum Hafellner & Kalb. Three species are described as new: C. latisporum Kantvilas, a corticolous species containing atranorin and gangaleoidin from coastal Tasmania and New South Wales, characterized by pale pink, soon immarginate apothecia, 0.3–0.9 mm wide, non-capitate, unpigmented paraphyses, and relatively wide, 1(–3)-septate ascospores, 9–15 × 4–6 μm; C. litorale Kantvilas, a saxicolous species containing atranorin and confluentic acid, recorded only from Tasmania, with relatively large, usually pale pinkish apothecia, 0.6–1.5 mm wide, non-capitate paraphyses, and 1(–2)-septate ascospores, 9–13 × 4−6 μm; and C. saxatile Kantvilas, a saxicolous species containing atranorin and lecanoric acid, also known only from Tasmania, with dark brown to black apothecia, 0.3–0.5 mm wide, pigmented with Laurocerasi-brown, capitate paraphyses, and 1-septate ascospores, 7–14 × 3–5 μm. The widespread, coastal Australasian species Tylothallia verrucosa (Müll. Arg.) Kantvilas is transferred to Cliostomum, with the additional synonym Catillaria brisbanensis Räsänen. Megalaria variegata (Müll. Arg.) D. J. Galloway, based on a New Zealand type, is a further synonym of Cliostomum griffithii. All species are illustrated and described on the basis of Australian and Tasmanian specimens.

Divergent allele advantage in the MHC and amphibian emerging infectious disease.

Genetic variation in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) may be associated with resistance to the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The pathogen originated in Asia, then spread worldwide, causing amphibian population declines and species extinctions. We compared the expressed MHC IIβ1 alleles of a Bd-resistant species, Bufo gargarizans, from South Korea with those of a Bd-susceptible Australasian species, Litoria caerulea. We found at least six expressed MHC IIβ1 loci in each of the two species. Amino acid diversity encoded by these MHC alleles was similar between species, but the genetic distance of those alleles known for potential broader pathogen-derived peptide binding was greater in the Bd-resistant species. In addition, we found a potentially rare allele in one resistant individual from the Bd-susceptible species. Deep next-generation sequencing recovered approximately triple the genetic resolution accessible from traditional cloning-based genotyping. Targeting the full MHC IIβ1 enables us to better understand how host MHC may adapt to emerging infectious diseases.

Molecular investigation on infection by haemosporidians in three Western Palearctic species of swift (Apodidae) and their ectoparasitic louse flies.

Swifts (Apodidae) are an unusual group of birds that spend most of their lives in flight, landing only when breeding. Although this aerial lifestyle greatly reduces their likelihood of being bitten by vectors and infected by vector-born parasites, swifts can still be heavily infested during breeding by nest-based vectors such as louse flies (Hippoboscidae). Here, we investigated host, vector, and vector-borne parasite relationships in the three most widespread swift species in the Western Palearctic (WP): common swifts (Apus apus), pallid swifts (A. pallidus), and alpine swifts (Tachymarptis melba), their nest-based louse flies (Crataerina pallida and C. melbae) and avian haemosporidians (genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and Leucocytozoon). Studies of haemosporidian infections in Apodidae remain limited, with clear evidence of infection found to date in just four Neotropical and one Australasian species. The possible role of louse flies in transmitting haemosporidian infections has never been tested in swifts. We assessed the occurrence of haemosporidian infection by PCR screenings of DNA from blood samples from 34 common swifts and 44 pallid swifts from Italy, and 45 alpine swifts from Switzerland. We also screened 20 ectoparasitic louse flies present on 20 birds and identified them by both morphological features and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) barcodes. Our results provide no evidence of haemosporidian infection in the 123 swifts tested or in the two louse fly species we identified. Our findings are consistent with available knowledge showing no haemosporidian occurrence in WP swift species and that the most likely infection route for these highly aerial species (via louse fly ectoparasites during nesting) is unlikely.

On the differentiation and distribution of the rare New Zealand endemic Rehubryum bellii (Malta) F.Lara, Garilleti & Draper (Orthotrichaceae, Bryophyta)

ABSTRACT Introduction A recently published study revealed an unnoticed New Zealand endemic and monotypic genus, which was named Rehubryum. It was based on Ulota bellii, a species described by Nikolajs Malta for which only two previous collections were known. Despite this sample size limitation, Malta simultaneously published two varieties, each based on one of the two specimens: the type variety and U. bellii var. longicolla. Methods Specimens from 80 localities between 0 and 1430 m a.s.l. from both the North and South Islands of New Zealand were studied. Type material of both varieties of Ulota bellii was included in the study, and the ecological affinities of Rehubryum bellii were analysed. Key results and conclusions Morphometric analysis supports the conclusion that our recent collections correspond to the original concept of Ulota bellii, now combined as Rehubryum bellii. Additionally, var. longicolla is synonymised with the type variety based on a lack of morphological differences. Rehubryum bellii is described in detail and illustrated, and its distribution and ecological affinities are discussed. Rehubryum bellii presents a set of morphological diagnostic characters: leaves with a submarginal band of elongate cells, papillose-denticulate margins in the base–lamina transition, and an endostome with 16 segments. Similarities and differences between Rehubryum and Atlantichella, the sister genus from the northern hemisphere, as well as the distinction from Australasian species of Orthotrichaceae, are discussed. The genus is now known from 12 localities in montane areas of the South Island of New Zealand and two isolated mountains on the North Island.

The reinstatement of Plocamium robertiae (Rhodophyta, Plocamiales) and an updated species inventory of the genus in South Africa

ABSTRACT The morphologically diverse and widespread red algal genus Plocamium has recently emerged as a source of bioactive compounds with potential application in the pharmaceutical industry. However, species identification and the taxonomy of the group remains problematic. An initial contribution to the taxonomy of Plocamium in South Africa was therefore carried out using combined morphological and molecular approaches and existing literature. Plocamium robertiae is reinstated as a distinct species based on molecular and morphological evidence, while Plocamium raphelisianum, a species from Spain, is placed in synonymy with P. suhrii. Along the South African coast, individuals of P. suhrii were genetically divergent in different bioregions and will require further investigation. Contrary to previous reports, we confirm the absence in South Africa of two Australasian species, P. microcladioides and P. mertensii, which were previosuly misidentified. The latter species likely represents a new, undescribed species in South Africa. Two additional species were also identified based on DNA but require further morphological assessment. We now recognize P. robertiae, along with eight other named species, plus five additional taxa, with varying levels of taxonomic confidence, and exclude P. microcladioides and P. mertensii from the South African flora. This study doubles the number of species recognized since the last biodiversity assessment of Plocamium and expands the distributional range of P. suhrii. Although our findings contribute an initial assessment assisted by DNA data, a full understanding of the taxonomy of Plocamium in South Africa is far from complete.

Enhanced survival and growth in the selectively bred Chrysophrys auratus (Australasian snapper, tāmure)

We report results from a comparison of a wild (F1) and a selectively bred elite (F3) strain of Chrysophrys auratus (Australasian snapper, tāmure), a species that has been selected for enhanced growth using genomics-assisted breeding selection. Populations (n = 100) of each strain were cultivated in replicated tanks over 39 days and fed for 8 h/day at two feeding frequencies (hourly and bihourly). Survival, feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured as the fish grew from approximately 5 to 15 g at a mean temperature of 18.6 °C. The selectively bred strain exhibited significantly improved performance over the wild strain in all measured traits. The F3 strain exhibited almost 100% survival, compared with 85% survival in the wild strain. The weight gain of the selected strain was 28–30% higher and FCR improved by 33–73%. In addition, intra-cohort variation was considerably lower for the F3 strain, and these fish were less sensitive to the effects of feed frequency. Feed intake was not substantially different between strains, and breeding gains in this species seem to be underpinned by substantially improved feed conversion. The results of this study indicate that the genomics-assisted selective breeding of C. auratus has significant potential to address production cost and efficiency concerns hindering the development of farming of this species in Australasia.

New Australasian Parathalassiinae (Diptera: Dolichopodidae sensu lato)

One species of Chimerothalassius Shamshev & Grootaert, namely C. marshalli sp. nov. is described from New Zealand, and two other species, namely C. riparius sp. nov. and C. sinclairi sp. nov. are described from New Caledonia. Two species of Microphorella Becker, namely M. bungle sp. nov. and M. viticula sp. nov., are described from Australia. These new parathalassiine descriptions increase the Australasian species diversity of Chimerothalassius and Microphorella to four species each. In addition, the genus Eothalassius Shamshev & Grootaert is recorded from New Caledonia based on a single female, and the male genitalia of the Australian species M. iota Colless is newly illustrated. A key to the genera and species of male Parathalassiinae in the Australasian Region is also provided.

Haemosporidian parasite diversity in an under-surveyed Australian avifauna

ABSTRACT Haemosporidian parasites of birds are geographically widespread, have been detected in a phylogenetically diverse array of hosts, and have been the focus of extensive research due to both their impacts on birds and their similarity to vector-borne diseases of humans. Advances in molecular diagnostic tools have created a greater awareness of the genetic diversity of haemosporidian infections. Yet in spite of their more or less global distribution, comparatively little is known about the haemosporidians affecting birds in Australia. We screened blood from 889 birds (23 species) for haemosporidian blood parasite infections during the 2019 breeding season at Brookfield Conservation Park, South Australia. We examined the genetic (lineage) diversity of haemosporidian infections in this behaviourally and ecologically diverse host assemblage and examined the congruence between parasite and host phylogenies. We identified seven Haemoproteus mitochondrial cytochrome b lineages, five of which were novel. Four birds had simultaneous co-infections by two Haemoproteus lineages each. The Haemoproteus lineages clustered at the host family level. Two Plasmodium lineages were also identified, each of which had been previously detected in different avian host species in Australasia. We did not detect any Leucocytozoon infections in our sample. This study supplies critical baseline data on host–parasite associations in a poorly-surveyed geographic region.

In vitro larvae metamorphosis of a New Zealand native freshwater mussel (Bivalvia: Unionida: Hyriidae) Echyridella menziesii

ABSTRACT New Zealand freshwater mussels are in decline. To support their restoration, existing methods developed for the laboratory transformation of other mussel species were trialled and adapted to establish a method for the successful in vitro propagation of a New Zealand freshwater mussel species, Echyridella menziesii. This paper provides details of the methods and the requirements for metamorphosis including products and equipment, the selection and collection of quality glochidia, procedures to reduce bacterial and fungal infection, the collection and use of fish plasma and mammalian sera, incubation densities and duration and the transition to water. This is the first documented case of successful in vitro metamorphosis, from glochidia to juvenile, of a native New Zealand freshwater mussel which has implications for the conservation of Australasian species.

Chemical diversity of kānuka: Inter- and intraspecific variation of foliage terpenes and flavanones of Kunzea (Myrtaceae) in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Kunzea (Myrtaceae) trees and shrubs, generally called kānuka, grow across most of Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ). With the exception of K. sinclairii, an offshore island endemic, kānuka had been treated as an Australasian species K. ericoides. However, a 2014 taxonomic revision recognized ten species, all endemic to NZ. Kānuka chemistry is less studied than that of its closest relative in NZ, mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium), which shows very distinct regional foliage chemotypes. We have used a miniaturized method with GC and 1H NMR to analyze foliage chemistry of voucher specimens from across the geographic ranges of the ten NZ Kunzea species. We found common mono- and sesquiterpenes, with α-pinene dominant in all samples, but only traces of antimicrobial triketones. Two unusual flavanones, with unsubstituted B-rings and known bioactivity against Phytophthora, did distinguish some of the samples. 5,7-Dihydroxy-6,8-dimethyl flavanone was only found at high concentrations in the three K. sinclairii samples in this study's sample set, but this compound has separately been reported in K. robusta samples from a nearby region. Therefore none of the NZ Kunzea species was distinguished by the chemistry analyzed in this study, but there is a possibility of regional flavonoid chemotypes cutting across the species boundaries.

Two new water mite species of the genus Hydrodroma Koch, 1837 from New Caledonia (Acari, Hydrachnidia: Hydrodromidae)

Two new water mite species of the genus Hydrodroma Koch (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Hydrodromidae) are reported from New Caledonia, i.e. Hydrodroma novacaledonica sp. nov. and H. pacifica sp. nov. An updated key for the Australasian species of Hydrodroma is provided.

Taxonomic revision of Australasian diving beetles in the genus Leiodytes Guignot, 1936 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae, Bidessini).

Bidessus migrator Sharp, 1882, so far assigned to Clypeodytes Régimbart, 1894, and widely distributed in Australia and New Guinea, is re-described. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, it is here transferred to Leiodytes Guignot, 1936. Bidessus loriae Régimbart, 1892 is found to be a junior subjective synonym of L. migrator. We describe the following new species: Leiodytes surianiae sp. nov. (eastern New Guinea, northeast coast of Queensland), and Leiodytes wattsi sp. nov. (southern New Guinea and Darwin area to northern Queensland). We delineate the species using characters such as male genital structure and beetle size, shape and color pattern. Mitochondrial Cox1 data for 27 individuals, representing all three Australasian species, were generated and revealed clusters congruent with the morphological evidence. In Australia Leiodytes only occurs in the tropical and subtropical northern part of the continent. None of the species is endemic to Australia. The species are mainly lentic, occurring in seasonal swamps, flooded meadows and pools of intermittent rivers and temporary creeks.

Netrostylis, a new genus of Australasian Cyperaceae removed from Tetraria

A new genus, Netrostylis R.L.Barrett, J.J.Bruhl & K.L.Wilson is described for Australasian species previously known as Tetraria capillaris (F.Muell.) J.M.Black (Cyperacea tribe Schoeneae). The genus is restricted to southern and eastern Australia, and the North Island of New Zealand. Two new combinations are made: Netrostylis capillaris (F.Muell.) R.L.Barrett, J.J.Bruhl & K.L.Wilson and Netrostylis halmaturina (J.M.Black) R.L.Barrett, J.J.Bruhl & K.L.Wilson. Netrostylis is a member of the Lepidosperma Labill. Clade.

Four new species of sequestrate Inocybe from Chilean Nothofagaceae forests

ABSTRACT Sequestrate fungi have enclosed hypogeous, subhypogeous, or epigeous basidiomes and have lost the ability to actively discharge their spores. They can be distinguished as gasteroid (basidiome fully enclosed with a loculated hymenophore) or secotioid (basidiome with some agaricoid or pileate-stipitate features, but the lamellae are misshapen and unexposed or mostly unexposed at maturity). There are only four reports of sequestrate taxa within the ectomycorrhizal family Inocybaceae, three from Australia and one from western North America. Recent field work in Nothofagaceae forests in the Chilean coastal range revealed novel sequestrate forms of Inocybe. We examined specimens using a combination of morphological and molecular data from nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS) and portions of nuc 28S rDNA (28S) and the gene encoding the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (rpb2). Here, we describe four new sequestrate Inocybe species, I. ranunculiformis, I. anfractuosa, I. illariae, and I. nahuelbutensis. Results of our phylogenetic analysis resolved the four new species as distinct species-level clades with strong support, suggesting that these fungi have convergently evolved sequestrate forms independently. The species described here were all placed along with members of the “smooth-spored temperate austral clade,” which includes almost exclusively Australasian and South American species of Inocybe.

Three independent evolutionary events of sequestrate Lactifluus species in Australasia.

Three Australian species with sequestrate basidiome forms are recorded for the first time in the genus Lactifluus based on nuclear ITS-LSU and morphological data. These species represent three rare independent evolutionary events resulting in sequestrate basidiomes arising from agaricoid species in three different sections in two subgenera. All three species have highly reduced basidiome forms, and no species with intermediate forms have been found. Lactifluus dendriticus is unique in the genus in having highly branched, dendritic terminal elements in the pileipellis. We provide full descriptions of two species: Zelleromyces dendriticus (= Lactifluus dendriticus comb. nov.) in Lactifluus subg. Lactifluus sect. Gerardii, and Lactifluus geoprofluens sp. nov. in Lf. subg. Lactifluus sect. Lactifluus. A reduced description is provided for the third, Lactifluus sp. prov. KV181 in Lf. subg. Pseudogymnocarpi sect. Pseudogymnocarpi, as it is currently known from a single sequence.

Genetic and parasitological identification of Trypanosoma evansi infecting cattle in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Background and Aim:Sulawesi is an Indonesian island located within the Wallacea region that contains a distinctive mix of Asian and Australasian species. This distinctiveness extends to parasites, including Trypanosoma evansi, the cause of surra. Surra has non-specific clinical signs such as anemia, anorexia, weight loss, drop in milk production, and reproductive disorders which cause economic losses. Due to the trade of livestock, surra has spread in Indonesia from one island to another. The aim of this study was to investigate the trypanosomes infecting cattle in South Sulawesi, using internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing.Materials and Methods:A total of 100 whole blood samples were collected from cattle in Makassar, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. All samples were tested using conventional parasitological methods (CPT), namely, thin blood smear, buffy coat smears, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Positive PCR results were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed.Results:Only one of the 100 samples was found to be positive with microscopic observation; however, PCR analysis revealed that 3% (3/100) of samples were positive. Sequencing identified the positive samples as T. evansi, China isolate (KU552344), with a homology of 99%. Two out of three sequences showed variations in ITS2 region.Conclusion:Based on CPT and molecular analysis, T. evansi isolates from infected cattle in South Sulawesi demonstrate genetic diversity of ITS2 sequences.

First record of Sceliphron madraspatanum (Fabricius, 1781) from Hungary (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

Sceliphron madraspatanum (Fabricius, 1781) is firstly reported from Hungary. As the collected specimens belong to Sceliphron madraspatanum ssp. tubifex (Latreille, 1809), a mainly Mediterranean subspecies of the widely distributed Oriental, Australasian and Palaearctic species, its occurrence is most probably due to natural area expansion.

Unity in diversity: phylogenetics and taxonomy of Rhabdoweisiaceae (Dicranales, Bryophyta)

AbstractMolecular phylogenetic reconstructions of Rhabdoweisiaceae based on plastid (trnS-rps4 and trnL-F) and mitochondrial (nad5) DNA sequences and a comprehensive taxon sampling were performed, including 15 out of 16 genera currently attributed to the family, taxa recently found belonging to Rhabdoweisiaceae and expanded outgroups from related families of Dicranidae. The suggested revised delimitation of the family comprises Camptodontium (previously referred to Dicranaceae), three subaquatic species currently classified in Blindia (Seligeriaceae), and Glyphomitrium (previously referred to Ptychomitriaceae, Erpodiaceae or its own family) and Eucamptodon perichaetialis (the type species of the genus, previously referred to Dicnemonaceae). The emended delimitation of Rhabdoweisiaceae thus adds to the already high morphological heterogeneity resulting from the divergent evolution of specialized traits in different lineages of epiphytes and saxicolous hygrophytes. Taxonomic inferences from the phylogenetic analyses include segregation of three new genera, Pseudoblindia (for species currently recognized as Kiaeria falcata, Blindia robusta, B. lewinskyae and B. inundata), Ripariella (for Kiaeria riparia) and Brideliella (for Oncophorus wahlenbergii, O. demetrii and Symblepharis lindigii). Hollia is reinstated for the dicnemonoid Australasian species previously classified in Eucamptodon. Additionally, we propose to merge (1) Oreoweisia, Pocsiella and Pseudohyophila with Cynodontium, and (2) Kiaeria s.s. with Arctoa. Furthermore, we propose to limit Oncophorus to O. virens and O. integerrimus and expand the circumscription of Symblepharis to accommodate O. crispifolius, O. dendrophilus, O. elongatus and O. raui. The generic status and inclusion in Rhabdoweisiaceae are confirmed for Cnestrum and the recently described Notocynodontium, and the exclusion of Amphidium, Dichodontium, Holodontium and Hymenoloma from the family is supported.