Explore the vast range of titles available.

This is the third paper in the series Catalogue of fungi in China that aims to systematically and promptly publish Chinese fungal species. In this paper of the series, we focus on macrofungi from the southern border area of Xizang, a previously less concerned region. A total of 15 new species in six orders, 11 families, and 12 genera from Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota are described. Both morphological and phylogenetic analyses support the identity of these new species and their taxonomic placements. In addition, one new combination Trechispora cryptomerioides is proposed. We hope that the third paper in the series Catalogue of fungi in China will draw more attention to reporting Chinese fungal diversity in the border areas of Xizang and other special geographic regions besides the aim of this series itself.

During the study of lignicolous freshwater fungi from Thailand, three pleurotheciaceous species were collected from freshwater habitats in Thailand. Two were identified as Pleurothecium aquaticum and Rhexoacrodictys fimicola , and the third is a new species Dematipyriforma muriformis sp. nov.. Rhexoacrodictys is accepted in Pleurotheciaceae based on phylogenetic analysis. Rhexoacrodictys nigrospora is transferred to Dematipyriforma based on phylogenetic analysis and morphological characters. Pleurothecium aquaticum and Rhexoacrodictys fimicola are reported from Thailand for the first time.

Abstract - The study of natural ecosystems and experiments using mixtures of plant species demonstrates that both species and genetic diversity generally promote ecosystem functioning. Therefore, mixing crop varieties is a promising alternative practice to transform modern high-input agriculture that is associated with a drastic reduction of within-field crop genetic diversity and is widely recognized as unsustainable. Here, we review the effects of mixtures of varieties on ecosystem functioning, and their underlying ecological mechanisms, as studied in ecology and agronomy, and outline how this knowledge can help designing more efficient mixtures. We recommend the development of two complementary strategies to optimize variety mixtures by fostering the ecological mechanisms leading to a positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and its stability through time, i.e., sampling and complementarity effects. (1) In the “trait-blind” approach, the design of high-performance mixtures is based on estimations of the mixing abilities of varieties. While this approach is operational because it does not require detailed trait knowledge, it relies on heavy experimental designs to evaluate mixing ability. (2) The trait-based approach is particularly efficient to design mixtures of varieties to provide particular baskets of services but requires building databases of traits for crop varieties and documenting the relations between traits and services. The performance of mixtures requires eventually to be evaluated in real economic, social, and agronomic contexts. We conclude that the need of a multifunctional low-input agriculture strongly increases the attractiveness of mixtures but that new breeding approaches are required to create varieties with higher mixing abilities, to foster complementarity and selection effects through an increase in the variance of relevant traits and to explore new combinations of trait values.

China has a huge area of diverse landscapes and is believed to conceive incredibly high fungal diversity. To systematically and promptly report Chinese fungal species, we initiate the series of Catalogue of fungi in China here. In the first paper of this series, we focus on plant-inhabiting fungi. A total of 33 new taxa are described all over China. These taxa include two new genera, viz. Cremeoefibula and Nothopucciniastrum, 18 new species, viz. Annulohypoxylon lancangensis, Ascotaiwania coffeae, Clitocella neofallax, Coleopuccinia yunnanensis, Cremeoefibula hengduanensis, Crepidotus furcaticystidiosus, C. tomentellus, Diachea macroverrucosa, Helicogloea hangzhouensis, Hyalopsora caprearum, Nemania polymorpha, Phanerochaetella austrosinensis, Physalacria tianzhongshanensis, Setophaeosphaeria panlongensis, Subulicystidium boreale, Trechispora subaraneosa, Vikalpa dujuanhuensis, and Xylaria pteridicola, and 13 new combinations, viz. Nothopucciniastrum actinidiae, N. boehmeriae, N. coriariae, N. corni, N. coryli, N. fagi, N. kusanoi, N. hikosanense, N. hydrangeae-petiolaris, N. miyabeanum, N. styracinum, N. tiliae, and N. yoshinagae. The morphological characteristics and phylogenetic evidence are used to support the establishment of these new taxa and the accuracy of their taxonomic placements. We hope that the series of Catalogue of fungi in China will contribute to Chinese fungal diversity and promote the significance of recording new fungal taxa from China.

Cryptic species comprise two or more taxa that are grounded under a single name because they are more-or-less indistinguishable morphologically. These species are potentially important for detailed assessments of biodiversity, but there now appear to be many more cryptic species than previously estimated. One taxonomic group likely to contain many cryptic species is Dicranopteris , a genus of forked ferns that occurs commonly along roadsides in Asia. The genus has a complex taxonomical history, and D. linearis has been particularly challenging with many intra-specific taxa dubiously erected to accommodate morphological variation that lacks clear discontinuities. To resolve species boundaries within Dicranopteris , we applied a molecular phylogenetic approach as complementary to morphology. Specifically, we used five chloroplast gene regions ( rbcL , atpB , rps4 , matK , and trnL-trnF ) to generate a well-resolved phylogeny based on 37 samples representing 13 taxa of Dicranopteris , spanning the major distributional area in Asia. The results showed that Dicranopteris consists of ten highly supported clades, and D. linearis is polyphyletic, suggesting cryptic diversity within the species. Further through morphological comparison, we certainly erected Dicranopteris austrosinensis Y.H. Yan & Z.Y. Wei sp. nov. and Dicranopteris baliensis Y.H. Yan & Z.Y. Wei sp. nov. as distinct species and proposed five new combinations. We also inferred that the extant diversity of the genus Dicranopteris may result from relatively recent diversification in the Miocene based on divergence time dating. Overall, our study not only provided additional insights on the Gleicheniaceae tree of life, but also served as a case of integrating molecular and morphological approaches to elucidate cryptic diversity in taxonomically difficult groups.

Lichens are widely acknowledged to be a key component of high latitude ecosystems. However, the time investment needed for full inventories and the lack of taxonomic identification resources for crustose lichen and lichenicolous fungal diversity have hampered efforts to fully gauge the depth of species richness in these ecosystems. Using a combination of classical field inventory and extensive deployment of chemical and molecular analysis, we assessed the diversity of lichens and associated fungi in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (USA), a mixed landscape of coastal boreal rainforest and early successional low elevation habitats deglaciated after the Little Ice Age. We collected nearly 5000 specimens and found a total of 947 taxa, including 831 taxa of lichen-forming and 96 taxa of lichenicolous fungi together with 20 taxa of saprotrophic fungi typically included in lichen studies. A total of 98 species (10.3% of those detected) could not be assigned to known species and of those, two genera and 27 species are described here as new to science: Atrophysma cyanomelanos gen. et sp. nov., Bacidina circumpulla, Biatora marmorea, Carneothele sphagnicola gen. et sp. nov., Cirrenalia lichenicola, Corticifraga nephromatis, Fuscidea muskeg, Fuscopannaria dillmaniae, Halecania athallina, Hydropunctaria alaskana, Lambiella aliphatica, Lecania hydrophobica, Lecanora viridipruinosa, Lecidea griseomarginata, L. streveleri, Miriquidica gyrizans, Niesslia peltigerae, Ochrolechia cooperi, Placynthium glaciale, Porpidia seakensis, Rhizocarpon haidense, Sagiolechia phaeospora, Sclerococcum fissurinae, Spilonema maritimum, Thelocarpon immersum, Toensbergia blastidiata and Xenonectriella nephromatis. An additional 71 ‘known unknown’ species are cursorily described. Four new combinations are made: Lepra subvelata (G. K. Merr.) T. Sprib., Ochrolechia minuta (Degel.) T. Sprib., Steineropsis laceratula (Hue) T. Sprib. & Ekman and Toensbergia geminipara (Th. Fr.) T. Sprib. & Resl. Thirty-eight taxa are new to North America and 93 additional taxa new to Alaska. We use four to eight DNA loci to validate the placement of ten of the new species in the orders Baeomycetales, Ostropales, Lecanorales, Peltigerales, Pertusariales and the broader class Lecanoromycetes with maximum likelihood analyses. We present a total of 280 new fungal DNA sequences. The lichen inventory from Glacier Bay National Park represents the second largest number of lichens and associated fungi documented from an area of comparable size and the largest to date in North America. Coming from almost 60°N, these results again underline the potential for high lichen diversity in high latitude ecosystems.

With almost 600 species, the latest molecular phylogeny of pholcid spiders (Eberle et al. 2018, BMC Evolutionary Biology) more than triples the largest previously available molecular phylogeny of the family. At the level of genera, the coverage is high (86%, i.e., 75 of the 87 named genera), and at the level of subfamilies it is complete. The present paper is an effort to critically evaluate the implications of this phylogeny for pholcid systematics. The analyses largely support the division of Pholcidae into five subfamilies: Ninetinae, Arteminae, Modisiminae, Smeringopinae, and Pholcinae. Their compositions are largely unchanged except that Chisosa Huber, 2000 is moved from Ninetinae to Arteminae. The positions of Artema Walckenaer, 1837 and Priscula Simon, 1893 in this system remain dubious. Relationships among subfamilies remain weakly supported, except for the sister group relationship between Smeringopinae and Pholcinae. Several major clades within subfamilies are separated from each other along geographical boundaries; for example within Modisiminae a South American clade and a Central + North American + Caribbean clade, and within Smeringopinae a Sub-Saharan clade and a clade ranging from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. Central + North American + Caribbean clades in both Ninetinae and Modisiminae may originate from South American ancestors. Many taxonomic changes are suggested by the data, some of which are formally implemented herein. Two new genera result from the splitting of Calapnita Simon, 1892 and Panjange Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman, 1983, respectively: Nipisa Huber, gen. n. ; and Apokayana Huber, gen. n. Nine new genera result from splitting of Pholcus : Cantikus Huber, gen. n. ; Kelabita Huber, gen. n. ; Kintaqa Huber, gen. n. ; Muruta Huber, gen. n. ; Meraha Huber, gen. n. ; Paiwana Huber, gen. n. ; Pribumia Huber, gen. n. ; Teranga Huber, gen. n. ; and Tissahamia Huber, gen. n. Two genera are newly synonymized: Platnicknia Özdikmen & Demir, 2009 is synonymized with Modisimus Simon, 1893; Sihala Huber, 2011 is synonymized with Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805. Pholcusagadir Huber, 2011 is moved to Micropholcus Deeleman-Reinhold & Prinsen, 1987, resulting in the new combination Micropholcusagadir (Huber, 2011).

Twenty-one new species of jumping spiders from five provinces of South China are described: Cheliceroides jinxini sp. nov. (♂), Dendroicius qiong sp. nov. (♂♀), Icius deergong sp. nov. (♂♀), Irura qiuhangi sp. nov. (♂♀), I. yarlungzangbo sp. nov. (♂♀), Mintonia shiwandashan sp. nov. (♂), Myrmarachne kuan sp. nov. (♂♀), Nandicius xiefengi sp. nov. (♂♀), Pancorius medog sp. nov. (♀), P. yingjiang sp. nov. (♂♀), Piranthus maddisoni sp. nov. (♂♀), Simaetha hainan sp. nov. (♂♀), Stertinius lhoba sp. nov. (♂♀), Synagelides kongmingi sp. nov. (♂♀), S. xuandei sp. nov. (♂♀), S. yunchangi sp. nov. (♂♀), S. yidei sp. nov. (♂), S. zilongi sp. nov. (♂♀), Yaginumaella daweishan sp. nov. (♂♀), Y. moinba sp. nov. (♂♀), and Y. pingbian sp. nov. (♂♀). Nepalicius Prószyński, 2016, syn. nov. is proposed as a junior synonym of Okinawicius Prószyński, 2016. Three new combinations are proposed: O. nepalicus (Andreeva, Hęciak & Prószyński, 1984), comb. nov. and O. seychellensis (Wanless, 1984), comb. nov. transferred from Nepalicius , and O. daoxianensis (Peng, Gong & Kim, 2000), comb. nov. transferred from Philaeus Thorell, 1869. The unknown females of O. nepalicus , Padillothorax exilis (Cao & Li, 2016) and Siler hanoicus Prószyński, 1985 are described for the first time. Distribution maps of the studied specimens are also provided.

One new genus ( Sestakovaia gen. nov. ; Liocranidae) and 10 new species of five families of spiders are described from different provinces of Iran: Brigittea avicenna sp. nov. (♂♀, Alborz and Kurdistan provinces) (Dictynidae), Micaria atropatene sp. nov. (♂, East Azerbaijan Province), Zagrotes borna sp. nov. (♂, Hormozgan Province), Z. parla sp. nov. (♂, Kerman Province) (Gnaphosidae), Sestakovaia hyrcania sp. nov. (♂, Golestan Province), Mesiotelus patricki sp. nov. (♂, Golestan Province) (Liocranidae), Palpimanus carmania sp. nov. (♂, Kerman Province), P. persicus sp. nov. (♂♀, Hormozgan Province) (Palpimanidae), Rhysodromus genoensis sp. nov. (♂, Hormozgan Province), and R. medes sp. nov. (♂, Hormozgan Province) (Philodromidae). Furthermore, Sestakovaia annulipes (Kulczyński, 1897), comb. nov. (ex. Mesiotelus ) and Zagrotes bifurcatus (Zamani, Chatzaki, Esyunin & Marusik, 2021), comb. nov. (ex. Berinda ) are proposed as new combinations.

Ten new species of jumping spiders are described from China, including Attulus jimani sp. nov. (♂♀) from Yunnan, Colaxes cibagou sp. nov. (♂♀), Epeus pengi sp. nov. (♂♀), Evarcha zayu sp. nov. (♂♀), Icius zang sp. nov. (♂♀), Pancorius nyingchi sp. nov. (♂♀), Stertinius liqingae sp. nov. (♂♀), and Synagelides medog sp. nov. (♀) from Xizang, S. tianquan sp. nov. (♂♀), and Yaginumaella erlang sp. nov. (♂♀) from Sichuan. The hitherto unknown female of Phintella longapophysis Lei & Peng, 2013 is described for the first time. Diagnostic photos and the distributional maps for all species are provided. Four new combinations are proposed: Epeus dilucidus (Próchniewicz, 1990), comb. nov. , and E. guangxi (Peng & Li, 2002), comb. nov. transferred from Plexippoides Prószyński, 1984, Phintella sufflava (Jastrzębski, 2009), comb. nov. transferred from Carrhotus Thorell, 1891, and Yaginumaella armata (Jastrzębski, 2011), comb. nov. transferred from Pancorius Simon, 1902.