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1. Two new species of Phaeohelotium ( Leotiomycetes : Helotiaceae ) from Chile and their putative ectomycorrhizal status

   https://doi.org/10.3114/fuse.2022.10.10  

   Grupe, A.C.; Smith, M.E.; Weier, A.; Healy, R.; Caiafa, M.V.; Pfister, D.H.; Haelewaters, D.; Quandt, C.A. (December 2022, Fungal Systematics and Evolution)

   Species of the genus Phaeohelotium ( Leotiomycetes : Helotiaceae ) are cup fungi that grow on decaying wood, leaves, litter, and directly on soil. Northern Hemisphere species are primarily found on litter and wood, whereas in the Southern Hemisphere the genus includes a mix of saprotrophs as well as taxa that grow on soil in association with ectomycorrhizal trees. The diversity of this genus has not been fully explored in southern South America. Here we describe two species from Chile, Phaeohelotium maiusaurantium sp. nov . and Ph. pallidum sp. nov ., found on soil in Patagonian Nothofagaceae -dominated forests. We present macro- and micromorphological descriptions, illustrations, and molecular phylogenetic analyses. The two new species are placed in Phaeohelotium with high support in our 15-locus phylogeny as well as phylogenetic reconstructions based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene. Our ITS phylogeny places both Ph. maiusaurantium and Ph. pallidum in a well-supported subclade that includes ectomycorrhizal root tip samples from Australasia. Similar species can be separated from these new taxa based on morphological characteristics, biogeography, substrate, and sequence data. In addition, two unnamed species from Chilean Nothofagaceae forests ( Phaeohelotium sp. 1 and Phaeohelotium sp. 2) are documented from scant collections and sequence data and await description until more material becomes available. 

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2. Parasitism of Neoconocephalus katydids by the parasitoid fly, Ormia lineifrons

   https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.13245  

   Rogers, Kyler J.; Beckers, Oliver M. (October 2021, Ethology)

   Abstract Mating signals of insects do not only attract their intended receivers but also eavesdropping parasites and/or predators. As a result, an arms race between the host or prey and the eavesdropper ensues, propelling their co‐evolution and potentially contributing to their diversification. Here, we investigate the species interaction of the flyOrmia lineifronsthat usesNeoconocephaluskatydids as hosts for its lethal larvae. We surveyed the host use ofO. lineifronsover a 2‐year period in Kentucky and determined which species were used as hosts, the parasitism rate of each katydid host, and how many generations per year the fly displays. Four of the six surveyedNeoconocephalusspecies were parasitized and killed (Neoconocephalus triops,Neoconocephalus velox,Neoconocephalus robustus,Neoconocephalus nebrascensis) byO. lineifrons. Three of these katydid species were previously not known to be hosts ofO. lineifrons. Two of the six species were not parasitized in either year (Neoconocephalus bivocatus,Neoconocephalus retusus) even thoughO. lineifronswas active when they called. The parasitism rate of each host peaked between 38% and 100% across years. The fly had three distinct generations per year, and each generation used different katydid species as hosts. We discuss the importance of the synchronization of the three fly generations with their hosts as well as potential counteradaptations of the hosts. These semi‐independent arms races could provide valuable insights in the diversification of the hosts and their parasitoid. 

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3. A new species of Arostrilepis from Ellobius tancrei (Rodentia: Cricetidae) in Mongolia

   https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182022000294  

   Dursahinhan, Altangerel T; Brooks, Daniel R; Botero-Cañola, Sebastian; Gardner, Scott L (May 2022, Parasitology)

   Abstract Cestodes of the genusArostrilepisMas-Coma and Tenora 1997 have a Holarctic distribution with 16 species occurring among 28 species of mostly arvicoline hosts. The type species of the genus isArostrilepis horrida(von Linstow, 1901), described initially asTaenia horridavon Linstow, 1901, from murine rodents in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. Here we report the first helminth parasite from the mole-vole,Ellobius tancrei, in Mongolia which is the first subterranean rodent known to be infected withArostrilepisin the Palearctic. In addition, we describe a new species:Arostrilepis batsaikhanin. sp. which most closely resemblesA. microtisGulyaev and Chechulin 1997, differing from this species with a genetic distance of about 4% (using cytochrome-b) and by having distinctly large cirrus spines, testes that are larger and fill the whole segment measured anterior–posterior and larger eggs. 

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4. Comparative genomics of 10 new Caenorhabditis species

   https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.110  

   Stevens, Lewis; Félix, Marie-Anne; Beltran, Toni; Braendle, Christian; Caurcel, Carlos; Fausett, Sarah; Fitch, David; Frézal, Lise; Gosse, Charlie; Kaur, Taniya; et al (April 2019, Evolution Letters)

   Abstract The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been central to the understanding of metazoan biology. However, C. elegans is but one species among millions and the significance of this important model organism will only be fully revealed if it is placed in a rich evolutionary context. Global sampling efforts have led to the discovery of over 50 putative species from the genus Caenorhabditis, many of which await formal species description. Here, we present species descriptions for 10 new Caenorhabditis species. We also present draft genome sequences for nine of these new species, along with a transcriptome assembly for one. We exploit these whole-genome data to reconstruct the Caenorhabditis phylogeny and use this phylogenetic tree to dissect the evolution of morphology in the genus. We reveal extensive variation in genome size and investigate the molecular processes that underlie this variation. We show unexpected complexity in the evolutionary history of key developmental pathway genes. These new species and the associated genomic resources will be essential in our attempts to understand the evolutionary origins of the C. elegans model. 

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5. Molecular systematics of Crassiphycus and Hydropuntia (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) with the description of poorly known taxa in the Western Atlantic Ocean

   https://doi.org/10.1080/09670262.2020.1814424  

   Gurgel, Carlos Frederico; Soares, Luanda P.; Norris, James N.; Fujii, Mutue T.; Schmidt, William E.; Fredericq, Suzanne (January 2020, European Journal of Phycology)

   null (Ed.)

   This study builds on recent treatments of the marine red algal family Gracilariaceae (Gracilariales) focusing in detail on Hydropuntia and Crassiphycus. Species in these two genera often present identification problems due to high levels of morphologial similarity among genetically distinct species, and high levels of phenotypic plasticity, leading to pseudocryptic speciation and homoplasies. In order to resolve long standing problems, clarify some species concepts and better understand the evolution of the group, we performed phylogenetic analyses of all plastid rbcL DNA sequences available for known Hydropuntia and Crassiphycus species, including newly sequenced specimens. Our results revealed the presence of potentially undescribed species, the existence of strong phylogeographic patterns below and above the species level and helped re-delineate morphologically similar taxa. New detailed morphological descriptions for three common yet poorly known Western Atlantic species are provided: C. secundus, C. usneoides and H. rangiferina. H. rangiferina from the Indo- Pacific is a distinct species from the true H. rangiferina and represents a putative undescribed species. We also provide a time-calibrated phylogeny for the six genera in the Gracilariales to identify past geological and climatic processes associated with their origin and diversification. 

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