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1. A review of the genus Narcissia Gray, 1840 (Echinodermata: Asteroidea: Ophidiasteridae)

   https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315421000783  

   Cunha, Rosana; Tavares, Marcos (September 2021, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom)

   Abstract Since the taxonomic revision of the Ophidiasteridae by H.L. Clark (1921), in which 20 genera were recognized as valid, several new genera and species were included in this family, and the boundaries between some of them became largely arbitrary. This also applies toNarcissiaGray, 1840, whose morphology and taxonomy are still very poorly understood today. The main goals of this research were: review the taxonomy of the genusNarcissia, from morphological studies; redescribeN.trigonariaSladen, 1889s.str.; characterizeN.canariensis(d'Orbigny, 1839) andN.gracilisA.H. Clark, 1916, the two valid species most similar toN.trigonaria; review the validity ofN.ahearnaePawson, 2007 andN.trigonariavar.helenaeMortensen, 1933; review the validity ofN.gracilis malpeloensisDowney, 1975. Altogether 370 specimens were analysed. All morphological structures of taxonomic importance have been illustrated, and, for the first time, the internal characters of this group were studied, from electron microscopy and microtomography. A new diagnosis for the genusNarcissiawas constructed.Narcissia trigonariawas redescribed from a large specimen, from the type locality (Bahia, Brazil).Narcissia ahearnaeis considered a valid species, andN.canariensisandN.trigonariadistinct entities.Narcissia trigonariavar.helenaeis placed in the synonymy ofN.trigonaria, andN.gracilis malpeloensisinto the synonymy ofN.gracilis. The dataset obtained in this work is by far the most complete acquired for the genusNarcissia. 

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2. Molecular phylogeny of Spirotrichonymphea (Parabasalia) with emphasis on Spironympha , Spirotrichonympha , and three new genera Pseudospironympha , Nanospironympha , and Brugerollina

   https://doi.org/10.1111/jeu.12967  

   Noda, Satoko; Kitade, Osamu; Jasso‐Selles, Daniel E.; Taerum, Stephen J.; Takayanagi, Miki; Radek, Renate; Lo, Nathan; Ohkuma, Moriya; Gile, Gillian H. (May 2023, Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology)

   Abstract Spirotrichonymphea, one of the six classes of phylum Parabasalia, are characterized by bearing many flagella in spiral rows, and they occur exclusively in the guts of termites. Phylogenetic relationships among the 13 described genera are not well understood due to complex morphological evolution and a paucity of molecular data. One such understudied genus isSpironympha. It has been variously considered a valid genus, a subgenus ofSpirotrichonympha, or an “immature” life cycle stage ofSpirotrichonympha. To clarify this, we sequenced the small subunit rRNA gene sequences ofSpironymphaandSpirotrichonymphacells isolated from the hindguts ofReticulitermesspecies andHodotermopsis sjostedtiand confirmed the molecular identity ofH. sjostedtisymbionts using fluorescence in situ hybridization.Spironymphaas currently circumscribed is polyphyletic, with bothH. sjostedtisymbiont species branching separately from the “true”SpironymphafromReticulitermes. Similarly, theSpirotrichonymphasymbiont ofH. sjostedtibranches separately from the “true”Spirotrichonymphafound inReticulitermes. Our data supportSpironymphafromReticulitermesas a valid genus most closely related toSpirotrichonympha, though its monophyly and interspecific relationships are not resolved in our molecular phylogenetic analysis. We propose three new genera to accommodate theH. sjostedtisymbionts and two new species ofSpirotrichonymphafromReticulitermes. 

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3. The status of the anomalepidid snake Liotyphlops albirostris and the revalidation of three taxa based on morphology and ecological niche models

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24730  

   Linares‐Vargas, Camilo A; Bolívar‐García, Wilmar; Herrera‐Martínez, Alexandra; Osorio‐Domínguez, Daniel; Ospina, Oscar E; Thomas, Richard; Daza, Juan D (October 2021, The Anatomical Record)

   Abstract Liotyphlopsis a genus of blindsnakes distributed in Central and South America. We reviewed specimens ofLiotyphlops albirostrisalong its current distribution range and, based on morphological data and ecological niche modeling analyses, we restrict the geographical range ofL. albirostrisand validate three previously described species. In this revision, we describe the morphological variation in the populations from Panamá, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, and propose a new taxonomic arrangement. We revalidate three previous synonyms ofL. albirostristo full species status, while dividing the populations from Colombia in two subspecies―one attributed to a previously recognized species from the Caribbean region, and a new one from the Andean region. The new species differs fromL. albirostrisfrom Panamá in cephalic scale arrangements that effectively reduces the previously reported variability of these scales inL. albirostris. We also explore some osteological differences that are congruent with the variation observed. We hope that the recognition of these new species better represents the diversity withinLiotyphlops, helping to bring these new species out of their cryptic status so that they will be considered in future conservation efforts. 

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4. The first phylogenetic reconstruction of Nippostrongylinae (Nematoda: Heligmonellidae) reveals 3 new genera, the polyphyletic nature of Carolinensis and Vexillata , and identifies 5 clades with varying associations with mammals

   https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182025100395  

   Jiménez, F Agustín; Drabik, Guinevere O; Falcón-Ordaz, Jorge; Hope, Andrew G; Galbreath, Kurt E; de_la_Sancha, Noé U; Kinsella, John M; McCallister, Chris T; Tkach, Vasyl; Preisser, Whitney; et al (September 2025, Parasitology)

   Abstract The Nippostrongylinae is a group of strongylid nematodes that includes species typically associated with coprophagous mammals; in the New World, it is represented by 82 species within 11 genera. Two main morphological features, the synlophe and the caudal bursa, are used to evaluate the characteristics that allow identification and classification of the organisms in the taxon. However, the analysis of these characters often requires a partial or total destruction of specimens and therefore morphological variation is studied in only a very small subset of organisms per species. To evaluate the phylogenetic signal from these characteristics, we use genetic data to reconstruct the first phylogeny for the Nippostrongylinae using nuclear and mitochondrial genes and include representatives of the most common and diverse genera. The reconstructed phylogeny features five distinct clades and allows us to identify three non-monophyletic taxa includingCarolinensis, VexillataandHassalstrongylus. From these,Carolinensis s. l. is divided into four genera includingCarolinensis, Boreostrongylus, Neoboreostrongylusn. gen. andTepalcuaneman. gen.Stunkardionemais resurrected to includeVexillata noviberiaeandHassalstrongylusis divided into two, establishingLovostrongylusn. gen. to include species that are closely related toGuerrerostrongylusandTrichofreitasia. Organisms in these three genera feature a caudal arrangement of type 2-2-1. Furthermore, species inHassalstrongylus sensu strictoare more closely related to species inMalvinemaandStilestrongylus. Our results reveal the existence of an additional unnamed genus and underscore the usefulness of framing morphological characters in a comparative framework. A key for genera from the Americas is proposed. 

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5. Ecological differentiation and sympatry of cryptic species in the Sphagnum magellanicum complex (Bryophyta)

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16401  

   Nieto‐Lugilde, Marta; Nieto‐Lugilde, Diego; Piatkowski, Bryan; Duffy, Aaron M; Robinson, Sean C; Aguero, Blanka; Schuette, Scott; Wilkens, Richard; Yavitt, Joseph; Shaw, A Jonathan (September 2024, American Journal of Botany)

   Abstract PremiseSphagnum magellanicum(Sphagnaceae, Bryophyta) has been considered to be a single semi‐cosmopolitan species, but recent molecular analyses have shown that it comprises a complex of at least seven reciprocally monophyletic groups, that are difficult or impossible to distinguish morphologically. MethodsNewly developed barcode markers and RADseq analyses were used to identify species among 808 samples from 119 sites. Molecular approaches were used to assess the geographic ranges of four North American species, the frequency at which they occur sympatrically, and ecological differentiation among them. Microhabitats were classified with regard to hydrology and shade. Hierarchical modelling of species communities was used to assess climate variation among the species. Climate niches were projected back to 22,000 years BP to assess the likelihood that the North American species had sympatric ranges during the late Pleistocene. ResultsThe species exhibited parallel morphological variation, making them extremely difficult to distinguish phenotypically. Two to three species frequently co‐occurred within peatlands. They had broadly overlapping microhabitat and climate niches. Barcode‐ versus RADseq‐based identifications were in conflict for 6% of the samples and always involvedS. diabolicumvs.S. magniae. ConclusionsThese species co‐occur within peatlands at scales that could permit interbreeding, yet they remain largely distinct genetically and phylogenetically. The four cryptic species exhibited distinct geographic and ecological patterns. Conflicting identifications from barcode vs. RADseq analyses forS. diabolicumversusS. magniaecould reflect incomplete speciation or hybridization. They comprise a valuable study system for additional work on climate adaptation. 

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