Two Moraea species were used as outgroups. All 21 newly assembled chloroplast genomes had the typical quadripartite structure, comprising large and small single-copy regions and two inverted repeats. They ranged from 150,596 to 157,200 base pairs, and each contained 113 genes: 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes and four rRNA genes.

Gene order was otherwise highly conserved across the sampled members of the series. Comparative analysis identified an approximately 17,000-base-pair inversion in the small single-copy region of seven samples: Iris ventricosa, I. bungei, I. cathayensis, two I. kobayashii samples and two unidentified specimens. The rearrangement reversed eight genes: rps15, ndhH, ndhA, ndhI, ndhG, ndhE, psaC and ndhD.

It was identified as a distinctive structural feature of the series’ second major clade and as evidence for that clade’s monophyly independent of sequence data. The study distinguished four configurations at the inverted-repeat and single-copy boundaries, based on the positions of rps19 and ycf1. Most samples shared the fourth configuration.

I. liupanshanensis and I. qinghainica showed boundary contraction, while I. anguifuga showed expansion that placed ycf1 wholly within the inverted repeat. The series was recovered as sister to the clade containing I. ser. Foetidissimae and I. ser.

Spuriae, while the three newly described species and two unidentified taxa were incorporated into the strongly supported series. Three new species were formally described: Iris liupanshanensis, I. helanshanensis and I. coeruleoviridis. I. liupanshanensis has unusually broad leaves, 10–12 mm wide, and an above-ground flowering stem.

I. helanshanensis differs from I. farreri in its shorter bracts, lack of an elongated ovary neck and beakless fruit. I. coeruleoviridis resembles I. anguifuga but has broader leaves and smaller flowers, measuring 6–6.5 cm in diameter rather than about 10 cm. All three new species were documented in China.

I. liupanshanensis occurs in montane grasslands of the Liupan Mountains, while I. helanshanensis is recorded from the Helan and Luo Mountains. I. coeruleoviridis is known only from the Caolianling area of the western Qinling Mountains. Preliminary conservation assessments placed I. liupanshanensis and I. coeruleoviridis in the Data Deficient category.

I. helanshanensis was assessed as Vulnerable based on an estimated population of fewer than 1,000 mature individuals, an occupied area of less than 20 km² and a limited number of locations. The authors noted potential habitat degradation and fragmentation associated with tourism development, while stating that systematic surveys are needed to verify the assessment. The analysis had several limitations.

No I. songarica sample was available, leaving its phylogenetic position unresolved. Detailed morphological data were also unavailable for the two unidentified taxa, so their status as independent species could not be established. The known range of I. coeruleoviridis remains limited, and some records used to assess distribution were sparse.

Subject of Research: Phylogeny, chloroplast-genome structure and taxonomy of Iris series Tenuifoliae

Article Title: Phylogeny and taxonomy of Iris ( Iridaceae ) series Tenuifoliae : Discovery of a clade with chloroplast genome inversion and description of three new species

Article References: Zhang, Z., Li, H., Zhang, G., & Zuo, T. (2026). Phylogeny and taxonomy of Iris (Iridaceae) series Tenuifoliae: Discovery of a clade with chloroplast genome inversion and description of three new species. PhytoKeys, 275, 299-320. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.275.184036

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.275.184036

Keywords: Iris, Tenuifoliae, phylogenetics, chloroplast genomes, plant taxonomy, species description, genome inversion, Iridaceae, conservation status, Phylogeny, taxonomy, series

Investigators examined basidiomata, cystidia, basidia and basidiospores, and analyzed 57 sequences in the Hymenochaetales dataset and 67 in the Trechisporales dataset. Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood analyses produced largely congruent trees, with branches considered well supported at posterior probabilities of at least 0.9 and bootstrap values of at least 70%. For microscopic work, free-hand sections were mounted in potassium hydroxide with phloxine and in Melzer’s reagent, and observations and measurements were made at magnifications up to 1,000 times.

DNA was extracted from dried specimens or mycelia cultivated on 2% malt extract agar. The investigators amplified the nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 region with ITS1F/ITS4B primers and the 28S region with LR0R/LR5 primers, using two overlapping ITS segments for aged specimens. Products were sequenced by the Sanger method.

The genera share thin, resupinate basidiomata with hispidulous hymenial surfaces, monomitic hyphal systems containing nodose-septate hyphae, projecting multi-rooted lyocystidia and slightly constricted, subclavate basidia. They are distinguished by cystidial structure, chemical reactions and basidiospore morphology. Litschauerella has lyocystidia encrusted with crystals and fibrous hyphae, a dextrinoid inner layer and globose to broadly ellipsoid spores.

Tubulicium has lyocystidia covered mainly with dendroidly branching hyphae, a weakly amyloid inner layer and navicular, fusiform or vermicular spores. Sequencing the type species Litschauerella abietis provided molecular confirmation of the genus’s previously uncertain placement. It grouped with L. gladiola and six operational taxonomic units of uncultured fungi in a monophyletic Litschauerella–Litschauerellaceae clade with 100% bootstrap support and a posterior probability of 1.

The clade represented an early-diverging lineage within Hymenochaetales. On this basis, the researchers recognized Litschauerellaceae as an independent family rather than a synonym of Hydnodontaceae. Tubulicium , including its type species T. vermiferum , formed a well-supported monophyletic clade within Trechisporales, with 99% bootstrap support and a posterior probability of 1.

It was placed in Hydnodontaceae as the sister group of the monotypic genus Membranohymenium . Each of the three newly described Tubulicium species occupied a distinct phylogenetic lineage. T. densum , described from Taiwan, clustered with an uncultured Basidiomycota sequence from orchid roots in China with 93% bootstrap support and a posterior probability of 1.

T. fusiforme , described from Yunnan, China, grouped with an uncultured sequence from healthy tea material in Japan with 96% bootstrap support and a posterior probability of 1. T. naviculisporum , also described from Taiwan, was represented by a single sequence and emerged as the sister lineage to T. bambusicola . The new species differ in their cystidial coverings and spores.

T. densum has dendroidly branching hyphae and columnar crystals on its lyocystidia, with narrowly fusiform to navicular, oily spores measuring (19–)20.5–26(–28.5) × (2.8–)3–3.5(–4.1) μm. T. fusiforme has polytetrahedral crystals and fusiform to slightly vermicular spores measuring (21.5–)23–26(–27.2) × (3.9–)4–4.4(–4.5) μm. T. naviculisporum has cylindrical hyphae on its cystidia and navicular to fusiform spores measuring (17–)18.5–22.5(–24.5) × (3–)3.2–3.8(–4.1) μm.

New observations also extended the documented distributions of several previously described taxa. Litschauerella abietis was recorded in Taiwan on gymnosperm and angiosperm branches, while L. hastata was reported from Vietnam’s Lam Dong Province on a rotting trunk in mossy forest. In Taiwan, T. bambusicola occurred on bamboo and once on Arenga engleri ; T. curvisporum occurred on tree fern; T. dussii was collected from tree fern and a rattan culm; and T. vermiferum grew on an angiosperm branch.

The analysis has bounded limitations. The phylogenetic datasets did not include every recognized species, and T. naviculisporum was represented by only one sequence. Similarity between environmental sequences and two new species suggested possible ecological associations, but sequence matches do not establish those relationships.

The authors also reported morphological plasticity and regional variants in the Litschauerella clematidis complex, which they said require further phylogenetic study to clarify species boundaries. Overall, the study established molecular support for the placement of Litschauerella , corroborated the existing placement of Tubulicium , expanded the known East Asian distributions of the genera and added three recognized species to Tubulicium .

Subject of Research: Taxonomy and phylogeny of East Asian Litschauerella and Tubulicium

Article Title: Taxonomy and phylogeny of Litschauerella ( Hymenochaetales ) and Tubulicium ( Trechisporales ) in East Asia: Three new species and six new records

Article References: Lin, Y.-C., & Chen, C.-C. (2026). Taxonomy and phylogeny of Litschauerella (Hymenochaetales) and Tubulicium (Trechisporales) in East Asia: Three new species and six new records. MycoKeys, 138, 249-279. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.138.203229

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.138.203229

Keywords: fungal taxonomy, Litschauerella, Tubulicium, Hymenochaetales, Trechisporales, molecular phylogeny, ITS sequences, 28S rDNA, wood-inhabiting fungi, Taxonomy, phylogeny, East

The researchers collected infected leaves from Guizhou, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian provinces between 2022 and 2025, predominantly in Guizhou. Sampling took place in public parks, natural scenic areas, botanical gardens and primeval forests. They examined 38 newly collected strains associated with 36 host plant taxa from 17 genera and 16 families. Single conidia were isolated and maintained on potato dextrose agar, after which colony and microscopic characteristics were recorded.

Molecular analyses used the internal transcribed spacer region including 5.8S rDNA, the large subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA region, the translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene and the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit gene. The aligned loci were concatenated into a 3,002-character dataset containing 93 strains. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian-inference analyses produced congruent trees that resolved nine represented generic lineages: Conidiocarpus, Phragmocapnias, Hyphopolychaeton, Capnodium, Hyphocapnodia, Polychaeton, Chaetocapnodium, Heteroconium and Leptoxyphium. Hyphocapnodia and Heteroconium were each represented by only one sequence, limiting sampling within those lineages.

The analyses supported the establishment of the genus Hyphopolychaeton as an independent lineage closely related to Conidiocarpus and Phragmocapnias. Its type species, H. duyunense, was accompanied by two additional species, H. cengongense and H. maolanense. The genus has a dark superficial thallus and pycnidial conidiomata with an ellipsoidal conidiogenous region at the apex and no distinct long neck. The three species were separated through their phylogenetic placements and stable morphological differences rather than through a single character.

Three new species were recognized in Conidiocarpus. The type specimen of C. luodianense was collected from Citrus maxima in Luodian County, while additional Iris and Gardenia material was reported from Guizhou without a more specific county location in the collection table. C. bijieense was represented by two strains from Ficus in Bijie City, and C. tainingense was collected from Camellia in Taining County, Fujian Province. The latter lineage included several previously unnamed Conidiocarpus strains that were not re-examined morphologically in the present study.

The study also described Polychaeton citruscola from Citrus maxima in Jiangkou County, Guizhou, and Leptoxyphium chishuiense from two strains, one collected from Alsophila in Chishui City, Guizhou, and the other from Maling bamboo in Zhejiang Province. The two L. chishuiense strains formed a strongly supported lineage, although unnamed Leptoxyphium lineages near the species remained unresolved. Sequence data were unavailable for some strains or individual loci, and repeated attempts to amplify rpb2 in P. citruscola were unsuccessful.

The collections also expanded documented host and geographic records. Conidiocarpus cinnamomi was recorded in Guizhou from Forsythia suspensa, Eriobotrya, an unidentified Lauraceae member, Viburnum and Phyllostachys, while C. caucasicus was newly reported from Guizhou on Viburnum utile, Citrus maxima and Osmanthus. Two Chinese strains of C. guilanensis from Rubus lambertianus and Ficus clustered with the named reference strain and represented a new country record. Capnodium neocoffeicola from Ficus and L. fumago from Maling bamboo likewise represented first records for China.

Host association was documented but not used as the primary criterion for species delimitation. Some taxa occurred on multiple hosts, including C. cinnamomi, C. caucasicus, H. duyunense and H. cengongense. Host identity was assessed from plant morphology and, where possible, partial rbcL sequences; 14 host species yielded reliable rbcL data, while other identifications relied mainly on morphology. The observations therefore describe associations within the sampled material and do not establish the full host range or regional diversity of the family.

The study found that the position and structure of the conidiogenous region were broadly consistent with major phylogenetic lineages: it was typically upper-middle in Conidiocarpus, median to lower in Capnodium, apical and cupulate in Leptoxyphium, and apical and ellipsoidal without a long neck in Hyphopolychaeton. By contrast, small dimensional differences were treated cautiously when they lacked corresponding molecular divergence, and such differences were interpreted as intraspecific variation in C. cinnamomi, C. caucasicus and C. guilanensis. Overall, the four-locus framework improved discrimination among several close lineages, particularly where ribosomal regions were highly conserved, but conclusions still depended on available sequences, authenticated reference material and direct morphological comparisons. The findings expand the recognized taxonomic diversity and reference dataset for Capnodiaceae in China without establishing the family’s full diversity or resolving every closely related lineage.

Subject of Research: Taxonomic and phylogenetic study of Capnodiaceae sooty mold fungi collected in China

Article Title: Morphology and multilocus phylogeny illuminate novel taxa in Capnodiaceae ( Ascomycota , Dothideomycetes , Capnodiales )

Article References: Sun, J., Liu, Y., Chen, T., Tarafder, E., Hongsanan, S., Chen, S., Norphanphoun, C., Deng, X., Feng, Y., Yang, T., Karunarathna, S. C., & Zeng, X. (2026). Morphology and multilocus phylogeny illuminate novel taxa in Capnodiaceae (Ascomycota, Dothideomycetes, Capnodiales). IMA Fungus, 17, Article e188051. https://doi.org/10.3897/imafungus.17.188051

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/imafungus.17.188051

Keywords: Capnodiaceae, sooty mold fungi, fungal taxonomy, multilocus phylogeny, morphology, China, new species, Hyphopolychaeton, Conidiocarpus, Leptoxyphium, multilocus, phylogeny

Basidiomata were collected in Jilin, Qinghai, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Yunnan. Field documentation covered macroscopic characters, vegetation, substrate, associated plants, geographic coordinates and elevation. Fresh specimens were examined microscopically for spores, basidia, cheilocystidia, pleurocystidia, caulocystidia and the pileipellis and stipitipellis. The final dataset contained 86 samples and a concatenated alignment of 2,691 base pairs, comprising 727 base pairs of ITS, 680 of rpb2 and 1,284 of LSU.

Maximum-likelihood inference used IQ-TREE with 1,000 ultrafast bootstrap replicates, while Bayesian inference used MrBayes. The two analyses produced largely congruent trees. The nodulose-spored ingroup was resolved into seven major clades: the Tabacina, Praetervisae and Oblectabilis groups, section Albodiscae, the Asterospora and Lineata clades, and the expanded Tiliae assemblage. Relationships among several of these lineages remained unresolved, however, rather than forming a single uniformly supported arrangement across the broader nodulose-spored complex.

Each putative new species was recovered as a distinct, fully supported lineage. Inocybe xihuensis was associated with a clade containing I. tiliae, I. tenuiorparietalis, the I. pallida/I. nobilis complex, I. sepiana and I. robertii, but that relationship had limited support, with a bootstrap value of 67% and no reported Bayesian posterior probability. Inocybe zijinshanensis and I. qiongzhuensis formed a strongly supported sister pair, with a posterior probability of 1.00 and bootstrap value of 100%, consistent with their similar basidiomata and pigmentation.

The new species, the former core Tiliae lineage, I. ravida and the Dunensis clade formed a fully supported major clade containing 10 species. The four new taxa were distinguished by combinations of macroscopic and microscopic characters. Inocybe qiongzhuensis has a grayish-brown pileus, a pink-tinged pruinose stipe, nodulose spores and long subutriform hymenial cystidia whose walls thicken toward the apex. Inocybe ravida has an earthy-yellow to ginger-yellow pileus, an entirely pruinose stipe, spores with 7–11 small nodules and smaller fusiform hymenial cystidia.

Inocybe zijinshanensis has appressed pale-brown squamules, a pale flesh-pink stipe, spores bearing 7–11 small nodules and broadly fusiform hymenial cystidia. Inocybe xihuensis has a yellowish-brown pileus with a dark center, granular stipe pruina, spores with 9–13 small rounded nodules and obtusely fusiform to fusiform hymenial cystidia. The four species were collected in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests dominated by Fagaceae, with the new taxa known from Yunnan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai.

The study also confirmed Chinese occurrences of I. tiliae, the I. pallida/I. nobilis complex and I. dunensis. Seven collections from poplar plantations in northeastern China clustered strongly with European I. tiliae, with a posterior probability of 1.00 and bootstrap value of 90%. The Chinese collections showed morphological variation and some genetic differentiation, but support for differentiation was limited, so the authors treated them as conspecific with I. tiliae. A Qinghai specimen was placed within the I. pallida/I. nobilis complex, while specimens from Jilin and Xizang formed a strongly supported clade with European I. dunensis.

Based on the phylogenetic results, the authors broadened the Tiliae group to include the major clade, the Pseudohiulca clade and the Velata clade. The resulting group contains 12 species and two species complexes. Its defining combination includes robust basidiomata, yellowish-ochraceous to dark-brown pilei, often pink-tinged stipes, bulbous or marginate stipe bases, stipe pruina extending over the upper portion at least, and often a spermatic odor. Two previously emphasized characteristics proved less consistent at the group level: stipe pruina was reduced in the Velata clade, and average spore length exceeded 10 μm in most, but not all, members.

Several limitations constrain the findings. The Chinese I. pallida/I. nobilis complex was represented by one collection, and a single overmature Gansu specimen was used to assess a lineage sister to I. velata. DNA could not be obtained from the preserved type material of I. pallida or I. nobilis, and no stable diagnostic characters separated the two names, so they were retained provisionally as a species complex. The broader relationships among several nodulose-spored lineages also remained unresolved. Within these boundaries, the study documents substantial previously undocumented diversity of the Tiliae group in China and shows that the known Chinese diversity of Inocybe remains insufficiently characterized.

Subject of Research: Phylogenetic delimitation and Chinese diversity of the Inocybe Tiliae group

Article Title: Molecular phylogeny of the Tiliae group ( Inocybe sect. Marginatae ) and delimitation of the group with new discoveries

Article References: Fan, Y.-G., Xu, Y.-R., Li, Y., Chang, C., Deng, L.-S., & Yu, W.-J. (2026). Molecular phylogeny of the Tiliae group (Inocybe sect. Marginatae) and delimitation of the group with new discoveries. MycoKeys, 139, 109-138. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.139.204873

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.139.204873

Keywords: Inocybe, Tiliae group, fungal phylogeny, new species, China, ITS, LSU, rpb2, morphology, fungal diversity, Molecular, phylogeny

Researchers examined Taiwanese and comparative museum specimens using external morphology, including male genitalia, and analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences. The analysis included COI sequences from 10 Taiwanese specimens representing three Paropheltes species, together with 428 sequences from 190 Barcode Index Number clusters retrieved from the Barcode of Life Data Systems. Maximum-likelihood phylogenies and two molecular species-delimitation methods were then used to test species limits and the classification of the subgenus.

The four species previously described and newly recorded from Taiwan were N. (Paro.) fulginosa Konishi, 1996, N. (Paro.) guptai Kaur & Jonathan, 1979, N. (Paro.) savchenkoi Tolkanitz, 1981, and N. (Paro.) yui Konishi, 2000. Their identifications were based on combinations of body structure, wing venation, coloration and male genitalia, with comparisons to original descriptions, type specimens and other documented material. N. yui did not have molecular data in the study, but the authors recognized it as a separate species on the basis of its morphology.

The new species, N. (Paro.) dalupalringi, was described from material collected in Kaohsiung, Nantou and Hualien. Its male genitalia have a parallel-sided gonostyle with a rounded, blunt apex, a semi-circular pad projecting dorso-basally, a brace that is parallel-sided basally and narrower apically, and a dorsal submarginal spine. It resembles N. (Paro.) caucasica in the general form of the gonostyle and pad but differs in gonostyle shape, the presence of the spine and its paler mesosoma. The name derives from Lake Dalupalringi, the holotype locality in Kaohsiung City.

Both molecular species-delimitation approaches, Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning and Bayesian Poisson Tree Processes, were consistent with the morphological treatment of the taxa for which molecular data were available. In the COI tree of Paropheltes, each operational taxonomic unit formed a distinct lineage with strong nodal support. The automatic partitioning analysis selected a threshold K2P distance of 0.13731 for the all-included dataset and 0.26493 for the Paropheltes dataset; all mean pairwise K2P distances among the sampled Paropheltes operational taxonomic units in the latter dataset exceeded 0.05, and most exceeded 0.15.

The broader phylogeny did not recover Paropheltes as a monophyletic group. N. guptai, N. millieratae, N. inedita, N. caucasica and one BOLD cluster each formed strongly supported independent lineages, while other sampled Paropheltes occurred in separate clusters. This result agrees with an earlier morphology-based analysis that also recovered the subgenus as polyphyletic. The authors noted that its boundary remains ambiguous with the subgenera Longiterebates and Prosthodocis and that some diagnostic characters, including the occipital carina and the position of forewing vein 1cu-a relative to M&RS, vary within Paropheltes. COI alone may have limited resolution at deeper nodes because of genetic saturation and other potential biases, so the result provides further evidence for reclassification rather than a proposed revision.

Alongside the taxonomy, the study proposed two methods for improving the observation of male genitalia. The first places black paper or flannel behind the specimen or adjusts the transmitted light source to make membranous structures, including the pad, easier to see. The second stains one side of the gonostyle for a few seconds with undiluted ink from a black rollerball pen or another dye such as chlorazol black E, followed by washing in water. The staining method is particularly useful when over-maceration in potassium hydroxide has made the pad too translucent for a dark background to reveal its outline clearly.

The authors recommended line drawings to complement photographs and recommended consistent conventions for displaying the structures, including stippling for membranous areas, dashed lines for concealed structures and bold lines for the pad outline. They also proposed this approach for representing the diversity of genital morphology in Netelia. The review documented 19 males and six females, including the holotype, for the new species and supplied diagnostic keys for the Taiwanese Paropheltes species, with the male key emphasizing genital characters and the female key using body structure and coloration.

The Taiwanese records show that Paropheltes occurs in mountainous habitats, including sites from about 1,300 to 2,800 meters elevation. The authors associated this pattern with the concentration of the subgenus’s described species in the Palearctic and Nearctic regions, where 36 of 48 species, or 75%, occur, and with previously described Oriental species found mainly at high elevations in India and the Tibetan Plateau. These distributional observations suggest that the Taiwanese fauna has been incompletely sampled, but the study did not quantify the island’s full Netelia diversity.

Subject of Research: Taxonomic and molecular review of the parasitoid wasp subgenus Netelia (Paropheltes) in Taiwan

Article Title: Review of the subgenus Paropheltes Cameron of genus Netelia Gray ( Hymenoptera , Ichneumonidae , Tryphoninae ) from Taiwan, with a proposal for improving male genitalia observations

Article References: Chen, H.-P., Konishi, K., & Shiao, S.-F. (2026). Review of the subgenus Paropheltes Cameron of genus Netelia Gray (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Tryphoninae) from Taiwan, with a proposal for improving male genitalia observations. Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 99, 1-46. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.99.167713

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/jhr.99.167713

Keywords: Netelia, Paropheltes, Taiwan, taxonomy, new species, Ichneumonidae, COI barcoding, phylogeny, male genitalia, parasitoid wasps, Review, subgenus

The research focused on three of the four hypogean Trechus species known from mainland Portugal. T. gamae and T. lunai occur in caves and mesovoid shallow substratum in different sub-units of the Estremenho karst massif, while T. tatai is restricted to the Montejunto karst massif, about 40 km southwest. T. machadoi was not included in the phylogenetic analysis because no new specimens were collected from its type locality, and male T. machadoi were unavailable for the comparative genital analysis.

Specimens came from Portuguese and German entomological collections and from field sampling in the known habitats of the four Portuguese species in the Lusitanian group. Researchers used pitfall traps baited with pig liver and partially filled with 1,2-propanediol for caves and mesovoid shallow substratum. Following DNA extraction, they amplified and sequenced the mitochondrial cox1 fragment, edited and aligned the sequences, selected a TPM1uf+I+G4 substitution model with ModelTest-NG and inferred the tree with maximum likelihood in RAxML. Ten independent runs searched for the best-scoring tree, 200 bootstrap replications evaluated its reliability, and T. obtusus served as the outgroup.

The resulting tree showed genetic structure associated with geography, with clusters corresponding to Madeira Island, Morocco, France and the Iberian Peninsula. Within the T. fulvus-group, T. lallemantii from northern Morocco formed a separate clade with 95% bootstrap support, while the remaining species formed a clade supported at 100%. Northern French T. fulvus was distinct from the Iberian group. The Iberian assemblage was divided into two weakly supported clades: T. fulvus and T. tatai specimens appeared in one, while southern Iberian T. fulvus, T. gamae, T. lunai and another T. tatai specimen appeared in the other.

These results did not support the Portuguese subterranean species as a monophyletic group, but the low support for both Iberian subclades means they also do not establish a definitive alternative relationship. The authors considered several non-exclusive possibilities. The recognized subterranean species could be synonyms of T. fulvus with the observed differences representing intraspecific variation, although the stable and geographically correlated morphology did not strongly support that explanation. Mitochondrial introgression or limitations of cox1 could also contribute to the mismatch between the molecular and morphological data.

A further possibility is that T. fulvus contains morphologically similar but evolutionarily distinct cryptic species. The study notes that T. fulvus occurs in both surface and subterranean habitats, has a fragmented distribution and displays localized variation. The authors state that a multilocus approach using rapidly evolving nuclear genes, or whole-genome sequencing, would allow the introgression hypothesis to be tested and improve species delimitation. Broader sampling of surface and underground populations across the group’s range would also help clarify its evolutionary relationships.

Morphometric analysis covered 28 specimens representing five species of the T. fulvus-group—T. fulvus, T. gamae, T. lunai, T. tatai and T. lallemantii—and the subspecies T. fulvus andalusiacus. Measurements included body length, maximum pronotum width and eye dimensions. One-way analysis of variance found no statistically significant difference in body length among biotope categories (p = 0.149), but detected differences in pronotum width (p = 0.015) and eye width (p = 1.07 × 10⁻⁹).

Portuguese subterranean species had significantly smaller eyes than T. fulvus and T. lallemantii in Tukey’s HSD comparisons (adjusted p < 0.0001). Specimens of T. gamae, T. lunai and T. tatai all had eye widths below 0.20 mm, whereas no other analyzed taxon reached that level. Cave-associated T. fulvus also had smaller eyes than surface-dwelling conspecifics, which the authors described as potentially consistent with phenotypic plasticity or incipient troglomorphic evolution.

Male genitalia nevertheless distinguished the analyzed species. T. gamae, T. lunai and T. tatai exhibited consistent differences in the shapes of the aedeagus basal margin and apex, the number of paramere setae and endophallus structures, with no overlap between species. These traits were consistent with earlier taxonomic descriptions. Taxonomic uncertainty nevertheless affects conservation because all four hypogean species in mainland Portugal are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered in the Red Book of Invertebrates of Mainland Portugal. The authors therefore consider maintaining their current status prudent until additional genetic data improve taxonomic resolution, noting that premature synonymization could weaken protections for species with very restricted ranges, including T. machadoi and the single-cave endemic T. tatai.

Subject of Research: Phylogeny and morphology of three subterranean Trechus ground beetle species in continental Portugal

Article Title: Phylogeny of subterranean ground beetles (genus Trechus , Coleoptera , Carabidae ) from continental Portugal

Article References: Gomes, M. M., Faille, A., & Reboleira, A. S. P. S. (2026). Phylogeny of subterranean ground beetles (genus Trechus, Coleoptera, Carabidae) from continental Portugal. Subterranean Biology, 55, 57-75. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.55.176926

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/subtbiol.55.176926

Keywords: Trechus beetles, subterranean fauna, Portugal, mitochondrial cox1, maximum-likelihood phylogeny, morphometrics, karst habitats, species delimitation, conservation status, Phylogeny, subterranean, ground

The study focused on New Caledonian material collected mainly on Grande Terre in 2022 and 2025, supplemented by herbarium specimens from New Caledonia, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Malaysia and New Zealand. Most recent collections were deposited at the University of Oslo and the Swedish Museum of Natural History, with duplicates at the Herbier de Nouvelle-Calédonie. The researchers examined specimens by dissecting and compound microscopy, measured thallus, fruiting-body and spore features, and used thin-layer chromatography to identify secondary metabolites.

For the molecular analysis, the authors generated 50 sequences from three protein-coding markers: 16 for β-tubulin, 10 for RNA polymerase II largest subunit, or RPB1, and 24 for the DNA replication licensing factor MCM7. They also generated 12 internal transcribed spacer, or ITS, sequences for New Caledonian material. These sequences were combined with published data and analyzed separately by marker and in a concatenated three-locus maximum-likelihood analysis. The protein-coding matrix contained 2,025 aligned positions from 48 specimens, while the ITS matrix contained 552 base pairs.

The maximum-likelihood tree divided the sampled Bunodophoron taxa into two strongly supported principal clades. One contained taxa associated with stictic-acid-related compounds and had 100% ultrafast bootstrap support. The other predominantly included samples with protocetraric acid and had 99% support. The separately analyzed ITS tree had limited sampling but did not conflict topologically with the concatenated protein-coding tree.

Four species-level lineages were identified among the New Caledonian material. Two were the newly described species, while the remaining material was provisionally assigned to Bunodophoron cf. formosanum and Bunodophoron cf. insigne. The new species were recovered in different major clades: B. flagellare was placed in the stictic-acid group, whereas B. imbricatum was placed in the group predominantly containing taxa with protocetraric acid.

Bunodophoron flagellare is a medium-to-large, epiphytic fruticose species with sparingly branched, whitish, slender to whiplash-like lower branches. Its ascomata are terminal, and its mazaedia are conspicuously sooted and exposed on the lower side near the branch apex. Ascospores measured 5.0–9.7 μm in diameter, excluding ornamentation. The species produces sphaerophorin, stictic acid, constictic acid and an unidentified accessory compound. It is currently known only from New Caledonia and may be endemic to the archipelago.

Bunodophoron imbricatum forms compact patches of imbricate, mostly decumbent and sparingly divided branches with a brownish-ochre upper surface. Its ascospores measured 4.7–12.6 μm in diameter, excluding ornamentation. Detected compounds included ascomatic acid, trace 7-O-methylnorascomatic acid, isousnic acid, sphaerophorin and protocetraric acid, although protocetraric acid was absent from one examined specimen. The species is also currently known only from New Caledonia. Both newly described taxa were recorded in mountain rainforests or high-elevation maquis and appear to favor semi-open habitats with comparatively high light availability; they were sometimes found together.

The molecular results changed the interpretation of earlier New Caledonian identifications. New Caledonian material resembling B. kinabaluense formed a separate, strongly supported lineage from specimens collected near that species’ type locality in Borneo. The authors therefore concluded that previous regional reports of B. kinabaluense most likely referred to B. flagellare or to B. formosanum sensu lato. The New Caledonian population identified as B. cf. formosanum was sister to an Australian specimen assigned to that species, but its status remains tentative because no material from Taiwan, the type locality, had been sequenced and B. formosanum shows substantial morphological variation.

New Caledonian samples assigned to B. cf. insigne formed a strongly supported clade with South American material identified as the same species, but genetic divergence and a relatively long branch raised the possibility that the New Caledonian specimens represent a separate, undescribed taxon. The study could not confirm earlier reports of B. australe, B. imshaugii, B. kinabaluense and B. ramuliferum in the archipelago. These were descriptive taxonomic and phylogenetic findings based on the sampled specimens; incomplete locality sampling, uncertain identifications and limited ITS data leave the status and diversity of some lineages unresolved.

Subject of Research: Taxonomic and phylogenetic assessment of the lichen genus Bunodophoron in New Caledonia

Article Title: Taxonomy and phylogeny of the lichen genus Bunodophoron ( Sphaerophoraceae , Lecanorales ) in New Caledonia, with the description of two new species

Article References: Borg, N. H., Wedin, M., Timdal, E., Prieto, M., & Simon, A. (2026). Taxonomy and phylogeny of the lichen genus Bunodophoron (Sphaerophoraceae, Lecanorales) in New Caledonia, with the description of two new species. MycoKeys, 140, 79-101. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.140.197771

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.140.197771

Keywords: Bunodophoron, New Caledonia, lichen taxonomy, phylogenetics, species discovery, morphology, lichen chemistry, molecular analysis, mycology, Taxonomy, phylogeny, lichen

The study examined Stenasellus specimens from 12 Asian locations in Iran, Turkmenistan, India, Cambodia and Vietnam, together with Metastenasellus from Benin and Cameroon. Researchers collected the Asian material by filtering or pumping water from caves, springs and stream hyporheic zones, preserving samples in 90% ethanol, and identifying specimens largely through male pleopod morphology. The new study expands the molecular sampling of a family whose previous phylogenies relied primarily on European material.

Molecular species delimitation was performed on 137 mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I, or COI, haplotypes derived from 165 specimens representing 26 morphospecies collected at 97 sites across Africa, America, Asia and Europe. Six methods—Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, Assembling Species by Automatic Partitioning, Poisson Tree Processes, Bayesian PTP, multi-rate PTP and a fixed COI threshold—produced different numbers of molecular operational taxonomic units. Multi-rate PTP yielded the fewest, at 44, compared with 53 for the fixed threshold method, 66 for ASAP, 69 for ABGD, 74 for PTP and 77 for bPTP.

For the phylogenetic reconstruction, the researchers used COI, mitochondrial 16S, nuclear FASTKD4 and nuclear 28S markers for 48 molecular operational taxonomic units. Newly designed FASTKD4 primers allowed four Metastenasellus units to be included in the family-level phylogeny for the first time. Maximum-likelihood analyses with IQ-TREE 3 and Bayesian analyses with PhyloBayes produced a tree containing six strongly supported multispecies clades, with bootstraps above 90% and posterior probabilities above 0.9, plus monotypic clades for S. asiaticus and Magniezia gardei.

All Asian molecular operational taxonomic units except S. asiaticus fell within one supported clade. It included S. tashanicus and S. stygopersicus from Iran, an undescribed Stenasellus from India, S. cambodianus from Cambodia and Vietnam, and S. angiangensis from Vietnam. S. angiangensis was placed as sister to the two geographically separated S. cambodianus units. Other clades corresponded to African Metastenasellus, Stenasellus from southern Spain and Portugal, Stenasellus from southern France, Corsica, northern Spain and Italy, the Balkan genera Balkanostenasellus and Protelsonia, and the Sardinian species S. nuragicus and S. assorgiai.

The new species was distinguished from S. cambodianus through male reproductive morphology. Both possess a strong spur on the endopod of the second pleopod, but S. angiangensis has a flute-shaped terminal end of the efferent canal, whereas the canal in S. cambodianus is narrow. The new species also has deeply bifurcated endopods on pleopods III–V. Its description included the body, coloration, appendages, sex-specific structures and uropods, documented with macroscopic, microscopic and scanning electron microscopy.

Genetic divergence was detected among the three known S. angiangensis populations, which were separated by a maximum of 10.2 km. Pairwise COI distances averaged 0.059 ± 0.003, while corresponding patristic distances averaged 0.08 ± 0.004. Sites on opposite sides of the same hill had distances comparable to those involving a more distant site on a separate hill. By contrast, 28S sequences from two sites on the same hill showed no divergence. Between S. angiangensis and S. cambodianus, the 28S p-distance was 0.04105 ± 0.00277, five times the 0.0080 distance between populations of S. cambodianus.

All specimens of S. angiangensis came from springs or hyporheic habitats along the banks of small mountainous rivers on forested slopes in An Giang Province, within the Mekong River Delta region. The lower substrate layer of pebbles and sand retains moisture even during the prolonged dry season, which can last three to four months. Specimens were not found beneath large rocks or in the main river channels, indicating an association with humid interstitial environments near stream banks. Females were significantly larger than males in average body length—4.87 ± 0.46 versus 4.43 ± 0.21 mm—and body width.

The phylogeny did not support the previously proposed monophyly of either Stenasellus or an “Atlantic group” of stenasellid genera, but the authors said that hypothesis could not be rejected with certainty because relationships among the eight major clades remained unresolved. The analysis also excluded several regions and genera, including American taxa and stenasellids from western Africa, so the family’s deep evolutionary history remains uncertain. The authors anticipated that additional sampling in the Mekong River catchment could reveal further undescribed Stenasellus species, but that prospect remains a prediction rather than a demonstrated finding.

Subject of Research: Molecular phylogeny and species delimitation of groundwater-dwelling stenasellid isopods, including a new Vietnamese species

Article Title: An updated phylogeny of the family Stenasellidae ( Crustacea , Isopoda ), with a new species of Stenasellus from southern Vietnam

Article References: Marin, I. N., Palatov, D. M., Văn Thinh, N., Deharveng, L., Konecny-Dupré, L., Douady, C. J., & Malard, F. (2026). An updated phylogeny of the family Stenasellidae (Crustacea, Isopoda), with a new species of Stenasellus from southern Vietnam. Subterranean Biology, 55, 187-215. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.55.185185

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/subtbiol.55.185185

Keywords: Stenasellidae, Stenasellus angiangensis, molecular phylogeny, species delimitation, groundwater crustaceans, isopods, Vietnam, taxonomy, COI, 28S, updated, phylogeny

They develop and feed on mosses and Saxifraga species. The genus comprises about 60 species in Europe and North Africa, all of which are wingless and consequently have limited mobility. Many occupy small distribution areas and are endemic.

With the description of D. sonjae, 34 taxa have been recorded from Italy. Their morphological assessment included external anatomy, male genitalia and female reproductive structures. For the genetic analysis, they used 658 nucleotides of mitochondrial Cox1 and constructed a Jukes-Cantor-corrected neighbor-joining tree in MEGA.

The holotype is a male collected below Pizzo Nona at 1,950 metres above sea level on 31 October 2024. Paratypes came from nearby locations at approximately 1,910 and 2,000 metres. Adults measure 3.3–4.2 millimetres long: males measure 3.3–4.0 millimetres and females 4.0–4.2 millimetres.

The body is black to dark brown, with reddish-brown antennae and legs, dark and light brown scales on the pronotum and elytra, paired lobal tibial spurs, and a strongly sclerotized base to the penis. D. sonjae is morphologically most similar to D. lepontinus, which was described from Cimalmotto in Ticino, Switzerland. The principal male distinction is the new species’ long, dagger-like penile tip.

Females can be separated by the spermatheca and eighth sternite: an edged projection at the base of the D. lepontinus spermatheca is absent in D. sonjae. The new species also has more elongate-oval male elytra with reduced shoulders, stronger femora and thicker erect scales. The two species share duplex lobal spurs on the tibiae and a heavily sclerotized basal region of the penis with a clearly delineated ostium.

Among alpine members of the genus, similar basal sclerotization also occurs in D. rudeni and D. imhoffi. D. meregallii shares the duplex tibial spurs, but its apparently single enlarged posterior tibial spur consists of two separate elements. The authors suggest that elongated tibiae and prominent spurs may be associated with extreme rocky habitats and possibly with sexual selection; male spurs were more pronounced than female spurs in the three species considered.

Cox1 sequence distances were 5.9–6.5% between D. sonjae and D. lepontinus, while every other species examined differed by at least 11%. At the type locality, adults and larvae were found in dense moss cushions on granite stones in a scree slope below the north face of Pizzo Nona. The site was described as exceptionally cold because a cavity in the north face deprives it of direct sunlight for much of the year.

The collections included late-stage larvae and first-stage larvae less than one millimetre long. The associated fauna included the alpine carabid Nebria casalei, which the authors consider to belong to Nebria cordicollis sensu stricto, while D. rudeni occurred nearby. The authors considered the population potentially relictual because of its restricted, cold habitat and separation from D. lepontinus populations around Monte Gridone and Cima Laurasca.

They also proposed that isolated D. meregallii populations may reflect survival in glacial refuges, while acknowledging that current distributions do not fully explain the species’ marked disjunction. The authors called for further research on the biogeography and phylogeny of high-alpine beetles.

Subject of Research: Taxonomic and mitochondrial characterization of a new alpine weevil species in Piemonte, Italy

Article Title: A new Dichotrachelus Stierlin from Val Grande (Piemonte, Italy) ( Coleoptera , Curculionidae ) with comments on biogeography and evolution of high alpine species of the genus

Article References: Szallies, A., & Germann, C. (2025). A new Dichotrachelus Stierlin from Val Grande (Piemonte, Italy) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) with comments on biogeography and evolution of high alpine species of the genus. Alpine Entomology, 9, 29-36. https://doi.org/10.3897/alpento.9.153998

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/alpento.9.153998

Keywords: Dichotrachelus sonjae, taxonomy, alpine weevil, Curculionidae, mitochondrial Cox1, species description, biogeography, phylogeny, Piemonte, Valle Vigezzo, Dichotrachelus, Stierlin

The study provides the first documented occurrence of the genera Neoanthomastus and Anthomastus on the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, while also adding two species to a coral subfamily for which molecular and morphological information remains sparse. The specimens were collected during China’s Ocean 83 cruise aboard the R/V Shenhai Yihao, using the Jiaolong human-operated vehicle. Each animal was photographed at its collection site, recovered to the ship and photographed again on board.

Five specimens were assigned to N. longistylus and three to A. mirabilis. Type material was deposited in the Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology at the First Institute of Oceanography in Qingdao, China. Taxonomic identification was based on both features visible in intact colonies and details of their internal anatomy.

Researchers used stereomicroscopy to examine the shape and color of each capitulum, or cap, and stalk; they counted and measured the autozooids, the large retractile polyps distributed over the cap, and dissected colonies into tentacles, pharynx, anthocodial wall, cap surface, stalk and holdfast. After cleaning and drying, those sclerites were examined by scanning electron microscopy and classified according to established coral taxonomic criteria. Neoanthomastus longistylus takes its name from its elongated stalk.

Its holotype has a spheroidal capitulum 17 millimetres in diameter and 15 millimetres high, supported by a conspicuously striated stalk that reaches 45 millimetres in height and narrows toward the cap. The stalk is at least three times longer than its maximum width and approximately 2.5 times longer than the capitulum. The specimen carries 28 large autozooids arranged evenly across the cap, together with small red siphonozooids on the capitulum and upper third of the stalk.

Among the five N. longistylus specimens examined, total colony height ranged from 50 to 120 millimetres and the number of autozooids ranged from nine to 28. The sclerites of N. longistylus provide a detailed combination of characters that separates it from named relatives. Its tentacles contain only straight rods and rods with one curved end.

The species resembles N. giganteus in its long stalk and restriction of siphonozooids to the upper stalk, but differs in its abundant tentacular, pharyngeal and capitular sclerites, unilaterally curved tentacular rods and absence of the spiny dumbbells found in N. giganteus. Anthomastus mirabilis has a more compact form, with a prominent spherical capitulum supported by a short, thick stalk. The holotype stands 42 millimetres high.

Its cap measures 33 millimetres in diameter and 20 millimetres in height, while the cylindrical stalk is 20 millimetres wide and 22 millimetres high. Twenty-two large autozooids are distributed over the capitulum; some were fully retracted in the preserved specimen, while others retained contracted tentacles. The siphonozooids are numerous and inconspicuous among the autozooids.

Live colonies were bright red, becoming vermilion in ethanol, and the tentacle tips were yellowish-white. The specific epithet mirabilis, meaning “wonderful” or “astonishing,” refers to the striking red, spherical colony and its elongated autozooids. Its tentacular sclerites include plates, rods, dumbbells and a few rods with short transverse axes.

The pharynx contains mainly platelets with a distinct median waist, along with a few crosses, while the anthocodial wall includes rods, clubs, dumbbells, multiradiates and crosses. Spindles are absent throughout the capitulum, stalk and holdfast. This absence is important because spindles are a central diagnostic feature of A. grandiflorus, which otherwise has a broadly similar external form.

A. mirabilis also has more varied tentacular sclerites than A. nanhaiensis and A. tongi, and the presence of pharyngeal sclerites distinguishes it from A. bayeri. Complete mitochondrial genomes supplied an independent test of the species’ placement. The circular genome of N. longistylus measured 19,102 base pairs and encoded 14 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and one transfer RNA gene.

The genome of A. mirabilis was longer, at 20,435 base pairs, and contained 17 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and one transfer RNA gene. A. mirabilis carried two copies each of ND6, ND3 and ND4L. Targeted sequencing in three specimens confirmed that each pair occurs at distinct locations in the mitochondrial genome.

The copies were completely identical at the nucleotide level, with no frameshift mutations, disrupted stop codons or non-synonymous substitutions. For the broader phylogenetic analysis, the researchers examined two independent datasets: 47 partial mitochondrial mtMutS sequences, including eight generated for the new species, and 35 complete mitochondrial genomes, including six from the study material. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian analyses produced congruent tree topologies for both datasets.

Together, the analyses divided Anthomastinae into five clades, placed N. longistylus within the Neoanthomastus clade and A. mirabilis within the Anthomastus clade, and supported the framework established by earlier phylogenetic research. Comparisons based on 14 mitochondrial protein-coding genes found small distances to the closest sampled relatives: 0.0339% between N. longistylus and N. stellatus and 0.0205% between A. mirabilis and A. grandiflorus. Those very small mitochondrial distances do not contradict the species distinctions because anthozoan mitochondrial DNA is known to evolve slowly.

The genetic data were therefore used principally to assess evolutionary placement, while the combination of colony, polyp and sclerite characteristics supplied much of the evidence separating the animals from named species. The authors also note that generic boundaries within Anthomastinae remain incompletely resolved, particularly among Anthomastus, Neoanthomastus and Pseudoanthomastus. Broader molecular sampling, scrutiny of potentially inaccurate annotations in public sequence databases and additional morphological descriptions will be required to refine the taxonomy.

Even with those limitations, the two new records establish the genera on the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge and provide a baseline for future ecological assessments of the ridge’s under-sampled coral fauna.

Subject of Research: Morphology, mitochondrial genomes and phylogenetic placement of two new mushroom soft coral species from the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Article Title: Morphology and phylogeny of two new species of deep-sea mushroom soft corals ( Octocorallia , Corallidae , Anthomastinae ) from the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Article References: Li, X., Xu, N., Ge, M., Hu, X., Li, M., Wang, Z., Zhang, X., & Xu, Q. (2025). Morphology and phylogeny of two new species of deep-sea mushroom soft corals (Octocorallia, Corallidae, Anthomastinae) from the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Zoosystematics and Evolution, 101(4), 2103-2121. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.163559

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.163559

Keywords: deep-sea corals, mushroom soft corals, Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, new species, Anthomastinae, Neoanthomastus, Anthomastus, mitochondrial genomes, phylogenetics, sclerite morphology, Morphology, phylogeny