Paulo Marinho

Abrachium , a new genus in the Clathraceae, and Itajahya reassessed

Molecular and morphological analyses have elucidated phylogenetic relationships of two remarkable species in the Phallales: Aseroe floriformis and Phallus roseus. Genes from ATPase subunit 6 (atp6), the nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (nuc-LSU), and the second largest RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2) underwent Bayesian and parsimony molecular analyses. Molecular datasets, combined with morphological characters, support a new genus (Abrachium for Aseroe floriformis), reassessment of Itajahya, and emendation of Clathraceae.

Two new species of Geastrum (Geastraceae, Basidiomycota) found in Brazil

We have studied molecular and morphological data of Geastrum aculeatum sp. nov. and G. echinulatum sp. nov. These two species were found in Brazil’s semi-arid region and in central Amazon. It is characterized by the nature of the mycelial layer with aculeate tufts. Geastrum echinulatum differs from G. aculeatum in the size of the spores, presence of subiculum and structural details in the mycelial tufts. The phylogenetic analyses were performed through parsimony and Bayesian methods, using the atp6 and LSU regions. These analyses confirm that both species are distinctly segregated from the other Geastrum species analyzed here.

Molecular and morphological analyses confirm Rhizopogon verii as a widely distributed ectomycorrhizal false truffle in Europe, and its presence in South America

The genus Rhizopogon includes species with hypogeous or subepigeus habit, forming ectomycorrhizae with naturally occurring or planted pines (Pinaceae). Species of the genus Rhizopogon can be distinguished easily from the other hypogeous basidiomycetes by their lacunose gleba without columella and their smooth elliptical spores; however, the limit between species is not always easy to establish. Rhizopogon luteolus, the type species of the genus, has been considered one of the species that are more abundant in Europe, as well as it has been cited in pine plantation of North and South America, different parts of Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. However, in this study, based on molecular analyses of the ITS nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences (19 new sequences; 37 sequences from GenBank/UNITE, including those from type specimens), we prove that many GenBank sequences under R. luteolus were misidentified and correspond to Rhizopogon verii, a species described from Tunisia. Also, we confirm that basidiomes and ectomycorrhizae recently collected in Germany under Pinus sylvestris, as well as specimens from South of Brazil under Pinus taeda belong to R. verii. Thanks to the numerous ectomycorrhizal tips collected in Germany, a complete description of R. verii/P. sylvestris ectomycorrhiza is provided. Moreover, since in this paper the presence of R. verii in South America is here reported for the first time, a short description of basidiomes collected in Brazil, compared with collections located in different European herbaria, is included.

In vitro biomass production of Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem & Schult)

Sideroxylon obtusifolium belongs to the family Sapotaceae which occurs in the Southwest and Northeast of Brazil. It is used in folk medicine due to its anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic properties. The intense use of its barks and the lack of cultivation of the plant made rare its occurrence in the natural habitat. This study was performed in order to get information about the biomass production of this native species using the techniques of plant tissues culture. The Murashige & Skoog (1962) and Gamborg et al. (1968) culture media containing auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic and kinetin kin were used for callus induction. Fragments of leaves were used as explants and sterilized with sodium hypochlorite for 40 minutes. The best outcome for callus induction was obtained with concentrations of auxin/kinetin of 0.1 mg/L / 1 mg/L in the Murashige & Skoog culture medium.

First records of Ocelot Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Carnivora: Felidae) from Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil

We documented the first reports of Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758), in the Rio Grande do Norte state, northeastern Brazil. In December 2014, one adult male was road-killed in an Atlantic Forest remnant in Sao Goncalo do Amarante municipality. Another three animals were killed by hunters in the Caatinga between 2012 and 2014, in the municipalities of Lajes and Santana do Matos. These records provide important information about the occurrence and distribution and conservation of this mesocarnivore in northeastern South America.

Estimating occupancy of the Vulnerable northern tiger cat Leopardus tigrinus in Caatinga drylands

Understanding the distribution and habitat preference of threatened species is essential for their conservation. We conducted the first systematic camera trap survey of the Vulnerable northern tiger cat Leopardus tigrinus in Caatinga drylands (Brazil) and tested how its occupancy and detectability patterns are affected by environmental and anthropogenic factors. Species detection-non-detection data, obtained by 7263 camera-days distributed throughout 187 sampling sites on ten Caatinga landscapes, were used to evaluate species detectability and occupancy according to ten environmental and anthropogenic predictors. We built seven detection models and 30 hierarchical occupancy models that have been ranked based on the Akaike Information Criterion. The estimated average occupancy of 0.46 was 38% higher than the naïve occupancy rate (0.34). Species occupancy was higher in locations with greater forest cover and at greater distance to agrarian settlements. Hunting and persecution of northern tiger cats by residents and a possible reduction of their natural prey by hunting may explain the result. On the contrary, more forested environments may represent higher-quality habitats providing greater availability of prey and shelters and protection against anthropogenic threats and extreme temperatures. These results improve the understanding of the ecology of a threatened and poorly known small cat, and they can guide conservation actions such as the creation of dense forest protected areas and provide information for mitigating human-carnivore conflict.

More than one fungus in the pepper pot: Integrative taxonomy unmasks hidden species within Myriostoma coliforme (Geastraceae, Basidiomycota)

Since the nineteenth century, Myriostoma has been regarded as a monotypic genus with a widespread distribution in north temperate and subtropical regions. However, on the basis of morphological characters and phylogenetic evidence of DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the large subunit nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (LSU), four species are now delimited: M. areolatum comb. & stat. nov., M. calongei sp. nov., M. capillisporum comb. & stat. nov., and M. coliforme. Myriostoma coliforme is typified by selecting a lectotype (iconotype) and a modern sequenced collection as an epitype. The four species can be discriminated by a combination of morphological characters, such as stomatal form, endoperidial surface texture, and basidiospore size and ornamentation.

In silico analysis of Eucalyptus thioredoxins

The Eucalyptus Genome Sequencing Project (FORESTs), an initiative from the Brazilian ONSA consortium (Organization for Nucleotide Sequencing and Analysis), has achieved the sequencing of 123.889 EST clones from 18 different cDNA libraries. We have investigated the FORESTs data set to identify EST clusters potentially encoding thioredoxins (TRX). Two types of thioredoxin families described in plants, chloroplastic (TRXm/f/x/y) and cytosolic (TRXh), have been found in the transcriptome. Putative typical TRXs have been identified in fifteen clusters, four m-type, seven h-type, two f-type, one cluster for each x/y-types and one putative homologue of the TDX gene from Arabidopsis thaliana. One cluster presents an atypical active site WCMPS, different from the conserved WCGPC present in the other 15 clusters, and corresponds to a subgroup of cytosolic thioredoxins. Except in specific libraries from callus, roots, seedlings and wood tissues, thioredoxin deduced ESTs are found in all remaining libraries. According to the calculated frequencies of ESTs, chloroplastic thioredoxins are preferentially present in green tissues such as leaves whilst cytoplasmic thioredoxins are more general but demonstrate elevated frequencies in seedlings and flower tissues. TRX frequency patterns in the Eucalyptus transcriptome seem to indicate a good coherence with data from Arabidopsis thaliana gene expression.

Revision of species previously reported from Brazil under Morganella

In our study, seventy specimens from Brazilian herbaria, as well as from NY and PDD, identified as Morganella, were analyzed. They included the paratype of M. mexicana and holotypes of M. arenicola, M. albostipitata, M. compacta, M. nuda, M. rimosa. Specimens were studied morphologically and used for DNA extraction and amplification of ITS and LSU nuclear ribosomal DNA. New sequences were obtained and compared with homologous sequences from GenBank. As a result of these analyses, a new species and six new combinations are proposed. Morphological review and discussion are provided for the species from Brazil.