Taxonomic Changes Research Articles

Current knowledge on the diversity of Eumolpinae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in New Caledonia.

The Eumolpinae leaf beetles of New Caledonia are very diverse, but our knowledge about their diversity is still incomplete. Following a renewed interest in the group in the last two decades, there has been an exponential increase in the number of species described, with species descriptions and taxonomic reassessment ongoing. In this work, the catalogue of New Caledonian Eumolpinae is updated, incorporating all these recent changes, and also indicating the collection where type specimens are currently available. The updated catalogue includes 120 species in 13 genera, and more additions and taxonomic changes, including new combinations, are expected in forthcoming years. Here two new synonymies are reported, namely Dumbeastriata Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2007 = Taophilacancellata Samuelson, 2010, syn. nov.; and Dematochromatheryi Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2010 = Dematochromapoyensis Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2010, syn. nov. Moreover, two species still retaining their original adscription to the genus Colaspis Fabricius, 1801, are treated as incertae sedis. This catalogue represents a useful tool for future taxonomic studies of New Caledonian Chrysomelidae and can assist biodiversity surveys and conservation studies within the archipelago.

Additional information on the taxonomy of genus Asclerobia Roesler, 1969 (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae).

The current contribution aims to supplement a previous one by the author (2021) with information on new taxonomic changes in the systematics of genus Asclerobia, and to correct some diagnosis errors. Two new species-group taxa are established as synonyms: Asclerobia flavitinctella (Ragonot, 1893) = Salebria tchahabarella Amsel, 1950 syn. nov., and Asclerobia sinensis (Caradja in Caradja & Meyrick, 1937) = Etiella yangtseella Caradja, 1939 syn. nov. The hitherto unknown female genitalia of Asclerobia flavitinctella are described, and the improved diagnosis of this species as well as Asclerobia sinensis are given. The updated keys based on external features and genitalia of both sexes, as well as a revised distribution map for Asclerobia species are provided.

Gut ecological networks reveal associations between bacteria, exercise, and clinical profile in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients.

Gut microbial dysbiosis has been observed in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The beneficial impact of exercise, the recommended lifestyle change for NAFLD patients, might be mediated by the gut microbiome (GM). However, the exact taxonomic and functional signatures associated with the host's clinical and biochemical improvement during exercise in NAFLD patients have not been elucidated yet. To investigate the impact of exercise on GM and reveal GM structures associated with NAFLD improvement during exercise. Stool samples from a 12-week randomized controlled exercise study on NAFLD subjects (N = 39) were retrieved, and shotgun metagenomics was performed at baseline and endpoint. Differential correlation network and enrichment analysis were applied to characterize the GM taxonomic and functional changes during the exercise intervention and to associate GM changes with biomarkers of liver status and metabolic dysregulation. Network analysis demonstrated that exercise induced significant changes in the bacterial interactome, which were associated with waist circumference; resting metabolic rate; plasma fasting concentrations of triglyceride, glucose, insulin, and glycated hemoglobin A1c; and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance. Grouping the patients in the exercise group (N = 20) as responders (N = 13) and non-responders (N = 7) using their intrahepatic lipid content (IHL) change allowed us to identify bacteria consortia contributing to the levels of alanine fermentation, methanol-, creatinine-, and protocatechuate degradation and as a result to the plasma concentrations of liver injury markers alanine transaminase, gamma-glutamyl transaminase, and aspartate transaminase. We showed that even though exercise has not a significant impact on the alpha- and beta-diversity of NAFLD patients, it leads to a significant re-structuring of the gut bacteria interactome and that specific structural changes can be linked with improvements in IHL. IMPORTANCE Our study is applying a community-based approach to examine the influence of exercise on gut microbiota (GM) and discover GM structures linked with NAFLD improvements during exercise. The majority of microbiome research has focused on finding specific species that may contribute to the development of human diseases. However, we believe that complex diseases, such as NAFLD, would be more efficiently treated using consortia of species, given that bacterial functionality is based not only on its own genetic information but also on the interaction with other microorganisms. Our results revealed that exercise significantly changes the GM interaction and that structural alterations can be linked with improvements in intrahepatic lipid content and metabolic functions. We believe that the identification of these characteristics in the GM enhances the development of exercise treatment for NAFLD and will attract general interest in this field.

Planning the Migration to a New Database: Implications for the Collections of Meise Botanic Garden

Established in 1796, the Meise Botanic Garden has undergone multiple changes in nationality, name, focus, and locations. These changes have impacted its herbarium, living collections, and associated data. The way specimens are filed in the herbarium varies according to specimen type, taxonomic group and historical importance. Pragmatic solutions were used in the past for dealing with the divergent collections and their users' specific needs. There are at least 15 filing systems used at the Botanic Garden at present. In 2015, funding facilitated the digitization of 1.2 million herbarium specimens. A follow-on project in 2018 digitzed another 1.4 million specimens. Together with other initiatives, like the Global Plants Initiative, we have more than 2.7 million imaged specimens, representing about 77% of our herbarium collections. Of the imaged specimens, 89% have minimal data (barcode, species name, collector(s), collector number, collection date, country and locality), while the remaining 11% still need the metadata captured from the scanned images (mostly being done through the crowdsourcing project DoeDat). In 2023, a call to tender was started for a new Collection Management System (CMS) as part of the Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) Flanders*1 project. This call for tender was compiled in consultation with various natural history institutions, botanic gardens and museums in Belgium. At present, we are in the process of evaluating the various tenders. As part of the preparation to migrate the data from our present database to the new database, data gaps are being filled and data is being cleaned where possible. This will facilitate the migration from one system to another. This is particularly important for fields relating to taxonomy, countries and collectors, as these have implications for the physical location of specimens in the herbarium. In the past months, much time has been dedicated to linking specimens to the taxon table. At present fewer than 0.6% of specimens with a filing name (the scientific name under which the specimen is filed in the herbarium cupboards) remain to be linked to the taxon table. The use of the Taxonomic Name Resolution Service helped to resolve some of the issues associated with unlinked names. Many of the remaining unlinked names are names of infraspecific taxa (which are not yet in the taxon table), orthographic variations, or names of commercial cultivars or hybrids. However, this does not include the 11% of the specimens without data mentioned above. The number of specimens lacking a country code is 7%. The African Herbarium, which represents about a third of the specimens at the Botanic Garden, is sorted according to species, country and collector. Resolving missing country codes would facilitate the curatorial process for this collection. Likewise, 6% of specimen data only have collectors as free-text that still needs to be linked to the standardised collectors table. Atomizing and linking these collector strings would also ease the migration to a new CMS. In 2015, a master plan was also drawn up for the physical renovation of the Garden, including the herbarium's infrastructure. Work on the herbarium is planned for 2025, but is contingent on funding. The CMS will form a crucial part of this move as specimens will be reclassified. As is mentioned above, there are several classification systems used at the Botanic Garden. The African and Belgian collections currently follow Mabberley (1997) for angiosperms. This system is no longer up-to-date, and we are considering moving to APG IV (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group) system for flowering plants. For example, the 213 genera present at the Botanic Garden for the family Liliaceae sensu lato (Mabberley 1997) would resolve to 24 families in APG IV. As the specimens are arranged alphabetically by family and genus, this would mean a significant physical reorganization of specimens. The CMS will also be used to track the movement of the various collections. Once the new CMS has been chosen, we will have a better idea of what needs to be done in order to facilitate data migration. For example, linking our taxonomic names to external sources using their permanent identifiers (e.g., World Flora Online, International Plant Names Index, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Index Fungorum, MycoBank, World Register of Marine Species) would allow us to track and maintain taxonomic changes more easily in the future. Importing the various permanent identifiers into our current database would be prone to inconsistencies as the existing fields are not fit for the purpose. A possible solution would be to manage this data externally and import them into the new CMS. A similar approach could be followed with collectors and Wikidata permanent identifiers. We hope to develop a pragmatic approach with practical solutions.

Grow a Backbone! Introducing Nomos as a New Taxonomic Backbone for Western Australia

In 2022, the Biodiversity Information Office (BIO) launched Dandjoo, a central, actively managed biodiversity data repository for the state of Western Australia (WA) to facilitate data sharing across all environment-related sectors to make biodiversity data more discoverable, accessible, and useable. Future integration with other platforms such as Environment Online as part of the Streamline WA project will support efficient, evidence-based, and transparent decision making for conservation and environmental assessments in Western Australia. Dandjoo will also integrate with The Biodiversity Data Repository as part of the Australian Government's Digital Environmental Assessments Program. Biodiversity data requires taxonomic information as its foundation. To enable the curation of data ingested into Dandjoo, BIO developed Nomos, a taxonomic names management system and authoritative source to aggregate, store and manage recognised taxonomic names of organisms found in Western Australia and any changes to them through history and into the future. This solution did not come without its challenges. There is no single source of Western Australian taxonomy—official checklists are only maintained for some taxonomic groups, and the availability of structured data around taxonomic changes is largely limited to plants through an internal departmental system called WA Census. WA Census is a legacy Oracle forms system for managing and referencing taxonomic names that underpinned several other applications such as FloraBase, WAHERB (WA Herbarium’s collection management information system), NatureMap (now defunct) and the Threatened Species and Communities branch databases for threatened flora and fauna. While Dandjoo needed a taxonomic backbone, there were also many internal systems that would essentially break without a similar source of information to draw from, hence the need to aggregate taxonomic names from the WA Museum and WA Herbarium (WA Census) into one single source of truth. There were also technical challenges for development. Nomos needed to support two nomenclatural codes, and link names together in hierarchies as well as through synonyms. It also needed to integrate with other agency systems and adhere to internal information technology policies and requirements. Additionally, the tight deadline for Dandjoo’s release meant that BIO needed to manage Nomos’s scope carefully for its initial release, deferring some non-core features for future releases. Nomos now aggregates taxonomic names from the Western Australian Herbarium and Western Australian Museum and provides the backbone that enables curation in Dandjoo and access to Western Australia’s biodiversity data. It stores a rich and growing history of taxonomic change, especially names of threatened flora and fauna, providing the capability to “relate” names to each other and track relationships through time. BIO staff, including data engineers and science officers, developed innovative workflows around maintaining taxonomic information in Nomos from Western Australian Herbarium and Western Australian Museum. For example, Nomos and WA Census are unable to be connected via API due to WA Census infrastructure, so data engineers and science officers worked together to develop a script to highlight record changes between WA Census extracts, to make sure that Nomos is kept up to date with WA Census. A similar process was deveoped to keep threatned species names and codes in Dandjoo systems up to date and in line with Threatened Species and Communities. Future workflows need to be developed around standardising the way agencies handle taxonomic names from invasive, alien and naturalised species. Future developments will expand API-driven connectivity with other systems, introduce conservation codes, and enhance functionality around subgenera and hybrid taxa. Nomos and the information it contains will ultimately enhance interoperability and knowledge-sharing across agencies, and support a common understanding of biodiversity data.

The new annotated checklist of the wild bees of Europe (Hymenoptera: Anthophila).

At a time when nature conservation has become essential to ensure the long-term sustainability of our environment, it is widely acknowledged that conservation actions must be implemented within a solid taxonomic framework. In preparation for the upcoming update of the IUCN Red List, we here update the European checklist of the wild bees (sensu the IUCN geographical framework). The original checklist, published in 2014, was revised for the first time in 2017. In the present revision, we add one genus, four subgenera and 67 species recently described, 40 species newly recorded since the latest revision (including two species that are not native to Europe), 26 species overlooked in the previous European checklists and 63 published synonymies. We provide original records for eight species previously unknown to the continent and, as original taxonomic acts, we provide three new synonyms, we consider two names as nomina nuda, ten names as nomina dubia, three as species inquirenda, synonymize three species and exclude 40 species from the previous checklist. Around a hundred other taxonomic changes and clarifications are also included and discussed. The present work revises the total number of genera for IUCN Europe to 77 and the total number of species to 2,138. In addition to specifying the taxonomic changes necessary to update the forthcoming Red List of European bees, we discuss the sampling and taxonomic biases that characterise research on the European bee fauna and highlight the growing importance of range expansions and species invasions.

Will molecular phylogenetics help decrease nomenclatural instability?

In the process of compiling a flora for Montana (Lesica 2012, 2022), we came to realize that many published nomenclatural changes are only weakly supported by the data presented which has often been based on recent findings in the field of molecular evolution. In this essay we attempt to present a summary of the reasons why taxonomic changes may be less than robust and our guidelines for accepting newly proposed nomenclature that we attempted to follow in our work. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Classification and phylogeny of Amaryllidaceae, the modern synthesis and the road ahead: a review

The classification and phylogenetic history of the Amaryllidaceae is reviewed since the dawn of molecular systematics in the 1990’s. The family is now recognized as comprising three subfamilies: Agapanthoideae, Allioideae, and Amaryllidoideae, of which the latter is the largest. The family likely had a Gondwanaland origin in what is now Africa. Agapanthoideae is monotypic, endemic to South Africa, and the first branch in the family tree of life; Allioidieae is sister to Amaryllidoideae. Four tribes are recognized in Allioideae: Allieae (monotypic, with nearly 1000 species of Allium across the Northern Hemisphere), Gilliesieae (5–7 genera in southern South America), Leucocoryneae (six genera mostly in southern South America), and Tulbaghieae (monotypic, with ca. 30 species endemic to South Africa). Amaryllidoideae is cosmopolitan, but mostly pantropical, consisting of 13 tribes. Centers of diversity occur in South Africa, South America and the Mediterranean region. The American clade is sister to the Eurasian clade (tribes Galantheae, Lycorideae, Narcisseae and Pancratieae) of the subfamily. The American Amaryllidoideae resolves as two monophyletic groups, 1) the hippeastroid clade (tribes Griffineae and Hippeastreae) and 2) the Andean tetraploid clade (tribes Clinantheae, Eucharideae, Eustephieae, and Hymenocallideae). Molecular analyses are reviewed for each main clade of the family, along with the resultant taxonomic changes. Directions for future studies are briefly discussed.

Captive breeding, embryonic and larval development of Ranitomeyavariabilis (Zimmermann & Zimmermann, 1988), (Anura, Dendrobatidae).

A solid basis to address the conservation challenges of amphibians requires an increased knowledge on their natural history and biology. Recent data on reproductive modes in amphibians suggest that they are much more complex and variable than previously thought but understudied. However, detailed information on the reproductive history is especially important to fill the current knowledge gaps. Following recent taxonomic changes in Ranitomeyavariabilis, information about captive-breeding management, image-based measurements of total length and surface area of the silhouette for individuals from embryonic to metamorphic development, and detailed larval staging for captive-bred specimens are provided from French Guiana. The development of R.variabilis from the stage eight (Gosner 1960) through metamorphosis took 79 to 91 days (n = 6) with a survival rate of 46%. The developmental stages largely matched those of the generalized staging system of Gosner (1960), with differences in the stages when labia and teeth differentiation and atrophy of the oral apparatus occurred. Compared with other studies the total length of R.variabilis tadpoles was greater at given stages than those of R.variabilis from a Peruvian population and those of the sister species, R.amazonica. Other studies concerning growth curves based on surface area data revealed that R.variabilis tadpoles at peak size were larger than those of R.amazonica, R.imitator, R.reticulata, R.sirensis, and R.vanzolinii, but smaller than R.benedicta. Our results represent the first embryonic and larval staging for R.variabilis, and detailed information is provided on their initial life phases. These data may facilitate the identification of R.variabilis tadpoles in the wild, as well helping to clarify the biogeographical distribution and taxonomic arrangement of the species. In addition, knowledge is added to the captive-breeding methodology for the species.

Updates on the classification and numbers of marine fungi

Abstract This article revises the documented diversity of known marine fungi from nine phyla, 33 classes, 107 orders, 273 families, 767 genera and 1898 species reported worldwide. A member of the Aphelidiomycota, Pseudaphelidium drebesii, is reported for the first time from the marine environment, on a diatom. Likewise, the phylum Mortierellomycota is listed following taxonomic changes, as are six subclasses: Chaetothyriomycetidae, Savoryellomycetidae, Sclerococcomycetidae, Agaricostilbomycetidae, Auriculariomycetidae and Aphelidiomycotina. Thirty-three orders and 105 family names with marine species are added to the checklist, along with 641 species in 228 genera, bringing the total to 1898. New additions of species added to the list of marine fungi are highlighted. Four new combinations are proposed: Stigmatodiscus mangrovei, Diaporthe krabiensis and Diaporthe xylocarpi, while the hyphomycete Humicola alopallonella is referred to the genus Halosphaeriopsis, as Halosphaeriopsis alopallonella.

Studies in the vascular flora of the southeastern United States. IX

As part of ongoing work on the Flora of the Southeastern United States (Weakley & Southeastern Flora Team 2022a) and related projects, as well as for general floristic, conservation, and scientific work in eastern North America, it is essential to document taxonomic and nomenclatural changes and significant distribution records. Here we describe three new species (in Rhynchospora, Sabulina, and Solidago), describe a new section (in Trichostema), make new combinations to treat taxa at appropriate ranks in appropriate genera and with appropriate nomenclatural application based on types (in Lycopodioides, Moeroris, Morella, Nellica, Tamala, and Trichostema), and propose the lumping of two species, resulting in a change in name and nativity status (in Sisyrinchium). These new combinations (rank changes, or generic transfers to apply newly accepted generic concepts to taxa that do not have corresponding available names at the appropriate rank) are needed to accurately reflect current taxonomic understanding of the regional flora. In the course of doing so, we discuss and address various nomenclatural issues, including typifications, and clarify characters and identification of difficult groups (providing new keys) in the regional flora. We also report significant new distribution and naturalization records in many genera, in New Jersey (taxa in the genera Anthriscus, Calibrachoa, Chaenomeles, Dichanthelium, Diplotaxis, Ditrichia, Dysphania, Erigeron, Eucommia, Eupatorium, Lepidium, Malus, Montia, Nepeta, Persicaria, Picea, Psammophiliella, Pulmonaria, Quercus, Silphium, Verbascum, Verbena, Vicia), in the Coastal Plain of Alabama and Mississippi (taxa in the genera Baptisia, Clematis, Coreopsis, Galium, Matelea, Mirabilis, Poterium, Rhynchospora, Silphium, and Symphyotrichum), in southern Indiana (taxa in the genera Andropogon, Brunnichia, Echinacea, Landoltia, Montia, Persicaria, and Solidago), and in North Carolina, Virginia, and likely other states (Euphorbia).

Changes in the Human Gut Microbiome during Dietary Supplementation with Modified Rice Bran Arabinoxylan Compound.

This study investigated the effects of a modified rice bran arabinoxylan compound (RBAC) as a dietary supplement on the gut microbiota of healthy adults. Ten volunteers supplemented their diet with 1 g of RBAC for six weeks and 3 g of RBAC for another six weeks, with a three-week washout period. Faecal samples were collected every 3 weeks over 21 weeks. Microbiota from faecal samples were profiled using 16S rRNA sequencing. Assessment of alpha and beta microbiota diversity was performed using the QIIME2 platform. The results revealed that alpha and beta diversity were not associated with the experimental phase, interventional period, RBAC dosage, or time. However, the statistical significance of the participant was detected in alpha (p < 0.002) and beta (weighted unifrac, p = 0.001) diversity. Explanatory factors, including diet and lifestyle, were significantly associated with alpha (p < 0.05) and beta (p < 0.01) diversity. The individual beta diversity of six participants significantly changed (p < 0.05) during the interventional period. Seven participants showed statistically significant taxonomic changes (ANCOM W ≥ 5). These results classified four participants as responders to RBAC supplementation, with a further two participants as likely responders. In conclusion, the gut microbiome is highly individualised and modulated by RBAC as a dietary supplement, dependent on lifestyle and dietary intake.

Collembola community contains larger species in frequently flooded soil

Climate change is increasingly affecting biotic communities, including soil fauna. Extreme weather events such as the incidence of heavy rainfall or prolonged drought can cause strong fluctuations in soil moisture. In river floodplains such extreme events determine the flooding intensity of the river bank grassland soils, and their communities. The diversity and distribution of many soil fauna groups depends on soil moisture content, so changes in inundation frequency and duration will impact soil fauna communities. We used the natural fluctuations in water levels of large Dutch rivers to investigate the effect of flooding intensity on the composition and traits of Collembola species, a key group of the soil fauna community. At five locations along large rivers in The Netherlands, we sampled Collembola communities at six levels of decreasing elevation and increasing flooding intensity. We identified all Collembola to species level and calculated species richness, composition and abundance values. Moreover, to understand the observed taxonomic changes across elevation we used the traits body size and life form to explain the change in Collembola community composition. Our results show that high flooding intensity favors larger Collembola species in the community. We hypothesize that high soil moisture in frequently flooded soil favors larger Collembola, which tolerate flooding. Life form, i.e. the preferred depth in the soil column, was significantly correlated with flooding intensity. There is an optimum in species richness and abundance at intermediate flooding intensity. These results can help predict the impact of climate change on soil fauna.

Taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical genus Pseudagris de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), with description of four new species.

The Afrotropical genus Pseudagris de Saussure, 1863 is revised. Four new species, Pseudagris apicalis sp. nov., Pseudagris nigrithorax sp. nov., Pseudagris nigrorufa sp. nov., and Pseudagris tanzanica sp. nov., are described. The following taxonomic changes are proposed: Pseudagris versicolor (von Schulthess, 1914) = Synagris versicolor var. meade-waldoi Maidl, 1914 syn. nov.; Pseudagris tessmanniana (von Schulthess, 1913) stat. rev. et comb. nov. is resurrected from synonymy. Lectotypes for Synagris aterrima Maidl, 1914 and Synagris versicolor von Schulthess, 1914 are designated. The males of Pseudagris brunnea Gusenleitner, 2007 and Pseudagris carinata (de Saussure, 1863), and the female of P. pygmaea Gusenleitner, 1998 are described for the first time. A key to the species is provided.

ASSOCIATION OF ALTERNATION IN INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA WITH IMPAIRED PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES IN REMISSION

The prospective study was conducted in the Department of Gastroenterology, THQ Hospital, from April 2021 to April 2022 to evaluate the association between mucosa-associated psychological functioning and intestinal microbiota in IBD remission patients. The study was conducted on 200 patients with comparable numbers of UC and CD. At inclusion, clinical phenotyping of disease status, including disease activity, was done using modified Truelove and Witt’s activity index (MTWAI) and CD activity index (CDAI). Biopsies were used for DNA extraction. The microbial profile of UC and CD patients was evaluated in correlation to depression. Like anxiety, the highest taxonomic changes were noted in the Firmicutes phylum. Many negative correlations were noted between the abundance of various taxa in Firmicutes phylum and depression. An analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between anxiety, the abundance of certain microbial taxa, and the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The results showed that there was a significant correlation between anxiety and a relative increase of taxa in CD only. Additionally, the QoL of those with CD had a negative correlation with the increase in taxa. For UC, the relationship was partly accurate. However, higher QoL was associated with the abundance of the RF32 family and Sutterella, indicating that these taxa could be potential markers of favorable outcomes.

Phylogenetic structure and molecular species delimitation hint a complex evolutionary history in an Alpine endemic Niphargus clade (Crustacea, Amphipoda)

Subterranean fauna is an important contributor to the global fauna, but it is still understudied and a large part of its taxonomy is not yet resolved. One species complex with unresolved taxonomy is the groundwater amphipod Niphargus ruffoi, endemic to the Alpine chain. Here, we used new samples from across the Alpine arc to review the taxonomic status of the entire clade, including the species N. ruffoi and Niphargus arolaensis. We sequenced four genetic markers from the collected specimens, assessed the phylogenetic position of N. ruffoi within the genus, and studied the structure of this species complex using four molecular species delimitation methods. We tested for recombination using the alignments of the concatenated nuclear rDNA genes. The phylogenetic analyses revealed high support for the monophyly of the studied species complex, defining two lineages (i.e., N. arolaensis and N. ruffoi) within the clade. Molecular species delimitation methods suggested that N. arolaensis is a single species, while N. ruffoi should be considered as a species complex of three (using ITS) to eight (using COI) putative species. Moreover, we found a discrepancy between the different nuclear ribosomal DNA markers, indicating a possible recombination with fragments of 28S DNA of N. ruffoi s. lat. present in the genome of N. arolaensis. For the above-mentioned reasons, the internal phylogenetic structure of N. ruffoi s. lat. could not be fully resolved. Moreover, no clear morphological evidence supported the molecular species delimitation. Consequently, no taxonomic changes were proposed. We postulate that this complex scenario was influenced by Pleistocene climate oscillations with subsequent fragmentation events and secondary contacts, making this an interesting study system to investigate the evolution and biogeography of Alpine clades.

DNA barcodes of the Greater Antillean butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) suggest a richer, more isolated fauna and higher endemism

Abstract We provide the first comprehensive assessment of the Greater Antilles butterfly fauna from a molecular perspective. We gathered COI barcodes for 82% of the archipelago’s 367 species. Barcodes perform relatively well for species identification. A barcode gap separates 83% of the 270 species (represented by at least two sequences) from its nearest neighbour (NN). Of the 31 species represented by single barcodes, 26 have minimum distances from their NN above 2%. Maximum intraspecific distances are higher than 2% for 57 species (21%); however, values are lower within single islands suggesting that a part of these species has evolved into endemic lineages overlooked or unrecognized until today. Barcodes are diagnostic for only 80 of the currently accepted 180 subspecies represented by at least two sequences suggesting numerous conflicts with the infraspecific classification and highlighting its subjectivity. For 20 species, and several subspecies within them, we propose a split into two or more species and elevating several subspecies to the species category. Other data sources including novel or previously ignored morphological characters of adults and immature stages, natural history and/or additional nuclear sequences support these taxonomic changes.

UCE phylogenomics, biogeography, and classification of long-horned bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Eucerini), with insights on using specimens with extremely degraded DNA

AbstractLong-horned bees (Apidae, Eucerini) are found in different biomes worldwide and include some important crop pollinators. In the Western Hemisphere, Eucerini received extensive taxonomic study during the twentieth century, resulting in several revisions of its genera. In contrast, progress on eucerine phylogenetic research and the genus-level classification has been slow, primarily due to the relatively homogeneous external morphology within the tribe and the rarity of many of its species in collections. Here, we present a comprehensive phylogenetic study of Eucerini based on ultraconserved elements, including 153 species from nearly all genera and subgenera and from all biogeographic regions where they occur. Many of these specimens are from museums and were collected as far back as 1909. We discuss the challenges of working with specimens with highly degraded DNA, present insights into improving phylogenetic results for both species-tree and concatenation approaches, and present a new pipeline for UCE curation (Curation of UltraconseRved Elements—CURE). Our results show the existence of seven main lineages in Eucerini and most of the genera and subgenera to be reciprocally monophyletic. Using a comprehensive and up-to-date phylogenetic framework, we: (1) propose taxonomic changes, including a new subtribal classification and reorganized generic and subgeneric limits; (2) estimate divergence times; and (3) conduct a detailed exploration of historical biogeography of long-horned bees. We find that eucerine lineages expanded their range onto most continents only after their initial diversification in southern South America during the Eocene.

Response of rare and abundant rhizosphere microbial communities to inoculated rhizobium in cadmium-contaminated soil phytoremediation

Soil microorganisms play an important role in maintaining ecosystem balance and exerting ecological functions. The taxonomic and functional changes in rare and abundant communities during in bioremediation of cadmium-contaminated soils and their contributions to the remediation of ecosystem functions remain elusive despite the significance of rare and abundant microbial taxa in maintaining soil ecological function. Mesorhizobiumloti HZ76-inoculated seedlings of the Robinia pseudoacacia were used to create a symbiotic system. The effects of rhizobium inoculation on rare and abundant rhizosphere microbial populations were investigated in pot experiments. Despite having minimal effects on the α-diversity of rare and abundant microbial communities, inoculation altered microbial community composition and functional gene abundance. For example, abundant phyla such as Proteobacteria were enriched following inoculation, whereas rare phyla such as Ascomycota were depleted. After inoculation, the abundance of nifH gene increased, while the abundance of amoA, amoB, nirS, nirK and nosZ gene decreased. Rare bacterial populations were more susceptible to the inoculated rhizobium's environmental alterations. In rare communities compared to abundance communities, the α-diversity was higher. Stochastic processes predominated in the communities of uncommon and abundant microorganisms. Furthermore, keystone taxa, particularly rare bacterial taxa (Gemmatimonadaceae and Saprospiraceae) and rare fungal taxa (Ascomycota), more mediates nitrogen cycle processes and is directly associated to the abundance of nitrogen functional genes. Together, our findings demonstrate the different ways that rare and abundant microbial species react to rhizobia inoculation and their connections to the nitrogen cycle.

(2959–2960) Proposals to conserve the name Abelmoschus against Laguna, and Pavonia, nom. cons., against the additional names Malvaviscus and Malachra (Malvaceae)

(2959–2960) Proposals to conserve the name <i>Abelmoschus</i> against <i>Laguna</i>, and <i>Pavonia</i>, nom. cons., against the additional names <i>Malvaviscus</i> and <i>Malachra</i> (<i>Malvaceae</i>)