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As the global footprint of urban areas expands, there is increasing motivation to conserve biodiversity in these areas. Cities typically develop in fertile, biodiverse locations, and often contain relatively high numbers of threatened species. Despite this, urban landscapes are often overlooked as conservation priorities. Although birds have been extensively studied in urban areas, research effort may not be consistent among species. An unbalanced representation of species and collective tendencies to focus on particular research topics pose a risk to the completeness of our understanding of urban ornithology. Developing a better understanding of how birds are studied in urban areas is crucial to mitigate the risk of biodiversity loss. Here, we conducted a systematic quantitative literature review to determine research effort at the species level for birds in Australian urban areas. We modelled which species characteristics predict the level of species research effort across studies with varying levels of conservation relevance and study themes. We found that studies with a strong link to conservation were uncommon and that most studies targeted broad suites of species rather than specific groups or species. Species characteristics, including species taxonomic group, migratory behaviour, threat status and body mass, were significant predictors of research effort. These results highlight the biases that exist in urban bird research, showing that applied conservation is uncommon and usually broad. Understanding the biases in Australian urban ornithology establishes a foundation for expected biases on other continents, which once addressed will be beneficial to conserving urban bird biodiversity.

The niche-based argument that species are filtered from environments in which they cannot sustain viable populations is the basis of the Richness-Heterogeneity Relationship (RHR). However, the multi-dimensionality of niches suggests that the RHR may take different shapes along different environmental axes, with potential confounding effects if filtering along the axes is not equally strong. Here, we explore how different structural and landscape variables drive the RHR as the accumulative outcome of environmental preferences at the species-level while considering the intercorrelation between heterogeneity levels along three niche axes. We used occurrence data of avifauna from 226 sites situated along a grassland-to-woodland gradient in a Midwestern USA study area. In each site, we quantified horizontal (habitat cover type), vertical (vegetation height structure), and spatial (habitat configuration) heterogeneity and explored the shape of the observed RHR at the landscape scale, as well as the correlations among heterogeneity levels at different axes. We then fitted species distribution models to environmental variables from the three axes separately and compared the stacked probabilities of occurrences of all species to the observed species richness. We found that predictions of richness patterns improved when more than one heterogeneity axis was included in RHR models, and that habitat suitability along different axes is not equally strong. Furthermore, a unimodal RHR along the vegetation height axis, which the species distribution models revealed to be a weak predictor for most species, may arise through intercorrelation with heterogeneity along the two other axes, along which we recorded stronger signals of environmental preference at the species level. Our results emphasize the importance of selecting relevant niche axes in studies of species richness patterns because ultimately, these patterns reflect the various environmental preferences of individual species.

Micromorphological characters of leaf epidermis were investigated in 69 species of Aspidistra using scanning electron microscopy. Sculpture of epidermis varies from smooth to verrucose and rugose in the genus. The abaxial epidermis of some species bears papillae, whereas the adaxial surface uniformly lacks the papillae. Sculpture type of epidermis and density of papillae are generally found to be stable characters at a species level. The infraspecific variation of epidermis sculpture, where present, ranges from smooth to verrucose or from verrucose to rugose. Micromorphological characters of leaf epidermis are shown to have potential taxonomic significance in Aspidistra; in combination with the type of shoot structure, they allow to subdivide the species into 13 groups. The groups are largely incongruent with floral morphological traits. An identification key to the studied species of Aspidistra based on vegetative characters (gross leaf and shoot morphology and characters of leaf epidermis) is presented.

The combined effects of heavy metals and parasitic infections on wild rats from Awotan municipal dumpsite in Ibadan city southwest Nigeria were determined. A total of thirty rats were captured from the dumpsite and five rats from a control site using live traps. Rats were identified, weighed and body length measured to determine body condition index. Blood samples were collected from the rats using the cardiac puncture method. Rats were euthanized and dissected to extract various organs (kidney, liver and intestine). Intestinal helminths were extracted, identified and preserved. Blood parasites were identified using Giemsa staining technique of thick and thin films while intestinal helminths recovered were preserved and identified to species level. Organs, intestinal helminths and blood samples were digested and concentrated for heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Cr, Cd, and Pb) using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Cortisol level was determined using ELISA technique. All statistical significance was at probability value p < 0.05. Three species of rats were captured, Rattus rattus, Rattus novergicus and Cricetomys gambianus. The mean ± sd of the body condition index of the rats from dumpsite and control groups were 1.82±0.17 and 1.59± 0.38 respectively. There were significant differences in the mean values of eosinophils, platelets and white blood cell counts of rats from the two study sites. Overall parasite prevalence in dumpsite and control were 76.6% and 20% respectively. The overall prevalence of parasite species from dumpsite was in the order Hymenolepis diminuta (26.6%) >Monoliformis monoliformis (20%) >Plasmodium spp (20%) >Trypanosoma spp (10%). The mean concentration (mg/kg) of heavy metals in kidney, liver, intestine and blood of wild rats from both dumpsite and control decreased in the order Fe> Cr> Cu> Cd> Pb. Cortisol level was higher in infected rats from dumpsite (351±58.83ng/ml) than in uninfected rats from dumpsite (237.22± 44.46ng/ml), indicating exposure to immune stressors. A higher prevalence of parasitic infection, heavy metal pollution and the elevated cortisol concentrations in infected rats showed that the animals’ health and well-being are compromised.

South Africa is the third most biodiverse country in the world and insects represent a large part of its faunal diversity, as is seen globally. With more than 65,000 described animal species in South Africa, insects represent 44,088 species. While there are still a lot of species yet to be identified, progress may be hindered by the few insect taxonomists available in South Africa and subsequently, the time-consuming nature and costs of the methods used during species identification. DNA barcoding, on the other hand, has become a valuable tool for documenting biodiversity with the use of a small DNA fragment such as cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI). This paper aims to assess South Africa’s contribution to the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) as well as highlight the regions that are under-represented on BOLD. From the 4,984,215 Insecta records on BOLD, South Africa contributed 56,392 insect records, with only 16.85% of that total identified to species level. The Gauteng Province had the most represented insect samples submitted to BOLD with 63.57% followed by Kwazulu-Natal (15.74%), and Mpumalanga (5.73%). However, the Free State, Limpopo, and the Northern Cape provinces are all under-represented on BOLD. This is evident as both the Northern Cape and Limpopo provinces contain one or more biodiversity hotspots which in turn displays the high levels of biodiversity that could still be recorded on BOLD. Improving our understanding with regards to DNA barcoding data linked to geographical regions, as well as specific insect groups, can highlight the areas in need of more research.

Haemoparasitic diseases is one of the major challenges that hamper cattle production in Africa with their effect usually manifested in production losses, late maturity, weight loss, still birth and increased susceptibility to other diseases. Information on the burden of some haemoparasites in wildlife/livestock interface in Ghana is scanty in literature. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of haemoparasites in cattle at Gbele Reserve wildlife/livestock interface, Upper west region of Ghana. A total of 143 blood samples collected from four selected fringe communities namely Desima, Gbele, Wahabu and Sakalu were transported to Central Veterinary Laboratory at Pong-Tamale for analysis. Giemsa stained thin blood smears were examined for haemoparasites, and packed cell volume (PCV) for each sample was determined using Haematocrit method. Mean PCV value was 25% and 42% for infected and non-infected cattle respectively. An overall prevalence of haemoparasites was 2.8% for all samples examined. Village specific prevalence of 0.7%, 1.4%, 0.0% and 0.7% was recorded in cattle infected in Gbele, Desima, Sakalu and Wahabu respectively. The low prevalence of haemoparasites recorded was attributed to the earlier intervention by Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Eradication campaign (PATTEC) project and the quarterly treatment regime employed by farmers. Babesia bovis and Anaplasma marginale were identified with prevalence of 2.1% and 0.7% respectively. The distribution of parasite based on sex was 2.1% for cows and 0.7% for bulls. Polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays are recommended alongside with thin blood smear examination in future studies for better sensitivity and identification of the haemoparasites to species level.

Genomic approaches to phylogeography routinely reveal that our estimates of species level diversity within island systems are woefully underappreciated. A recent analysis of population genetics, ph...

Invasive fungal wound infection (FWI) after burn injury, while uncommon, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There are numerous risk factors for FWI, including large burn size and incomplete excision of burn wounds. FWI can be challenging to diagnose. Close attention to changes in the physical examination and, in particular, to the appearance of burn wounds leads the burn team to be suspicious of FWI. Once FWI is suspected, histopathological evaluation of an incisional biopsy provides definitive diagnosis, while tissue culture enables identification of the causative organism to the species level and facilitates targeted antifungal therapy. Management of FWI focuses largely on aggressive surgical intervention, in addition to adjunctive systemic and topical antifungals and nonpharmacologic therapies. Treatment of FWI involves a multifaceted approach, which requires expertise from the entire multidisciplinary burn team.

Some Candida species are considered as human opportunistic pathogens and can play an important role in spontaneous fermentations, but also as beverage-spoiling microorganisms. The aim of this pioneering study was to investigate Candida spp. in hot beverages, which is consumed mostly on the streets in Cote d’Ivoire. Yeast strains were isolated from 400 hot beverages of tea (200) and coffee (200) samples. Yeast cultures were identified at genus and species level by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry at the biobank laboratory of the Pasteur Institute of Cote d’Ivoire. A total of 37 Candida isolates were clearly identified by MALDI-TOF (MS) and revealed 11 species of Candida: C. krusei (21.6%), C. tropicalis (18.9%), C. parapsilosis (16.2%), C. guilliermondii (16.2%), C. pelliculosa (8.1%), C. dubliniensis (5.4%), C. rugosa (2.7%), C. kefyr (2.7%), C. silvicola (2.7%), C. lusitaniae (2.7%) and C. orthopsilosis (2.7%). The results showed that C. krusei and C. tropicalis were the dominant yeasts in hot beverages from street vendors. Candida species were more isolated in tea (10%) than in coffee (8.5%). C. tropicalis, C. pelliculosa and C. krusei were more isolated in Cocody. C. guilliermondii and C. parapsilosis were more isolated in Port-Bouet. C. dubliniensis was only isolated in Yopougon town. The presence of Candida spp. in street hot beverages could cause a sanitary risk to consumers or be used as a novel source for biotechnological uses to be explored in future work. Key words: Street hot beverages, Candida spp., coffee, tea, food safety.

Eumops floridanus (Allen, 1932) is a molossid commonly called the Florida bonneted bat or the Florida mastiff bat. Eumops floridanus is the largest species of bat in Florida and is one of 16 species in the genus Eumops. With one of the smallest distributions of any bat in the United States, it is endemic to southern peninsular Florida where it roosts in cavities of live and dead trees and man-made structures. Eumops floridanus was formerly classified as a subspecies of E. glaucinus but has been elevated to species level based on morphology. Due primarily to its restricted distribution, small population size, and the continued loss of habitat, E. floridanus is federally listed as “Endangered” (EN) by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

This study highlights the importance of insect evidence by evaluating 949 insect-associated cases, including 139 entomological reports, from 2001 to 2019 at the Institute of Legal Medicine Frankfurt/Germany. With a high number of cases in the summer months and a low number in the colder season, 78.5% of the bodies were found indoors, regardless of year or month. In more than 80% of the cases, where PMI information was available (n = 704), the presumed PMI ranged from 1 to 21 days, a period during which entomological evidence can provide a day-specific estimate of PMImin. In cases where insects have been identified to species level (n = 279), most bodies were infested by one or two species with a maximum of 10 different species. Overall, a total of 55 insect species were found. Information on biology, activity and distribution of the most abundant taxa is given and applied for 5 case histories estimating different PMImins of up to over 6 months. Despite proved importance and scientific development of forensic entomology, insects are still rarely considered as a tool in forensic case work. The main reasons are a lack of awareness and (too) late involvement of a forensic entomologist. Our work shows that forensic entomology is an independent discipline that requires specialist expertise.

Identification of filamentous fungi based on morphological features is the most available approach used in clinical mycology laboratories. However, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is currently invaluable for identification of microorganisms because of its rapidity, simplicity, and accuracy. This study aimed to find the optimal way of identifying filamentous fungi using MALDI-TOF MS.The sample comprised 193 isolates of filamentous fungi. The identification started with morphological assessment. Then isolates were identified using MALDI-TOF MS, both directly from culture and following culture in liquid media with extraction. Subsequently, identification of 20 selected isolates was compared by sequencing of the benA gene, ITS1-5,8-ITS2, and D1-D2 LSU regions.Based on morphological criteria, 17 genera of fungi were identified. With MALDI-TOF MS performed directly from culture, nine isolates were identified to the genus level and 184 to the species level, with a total of 75 species being noted. With the MALDI-TOF MS extraction method, 190 isolates were identified to the species level, with 43 species being noted. The rates of agreement between identification using morphology and the MALDI-TOF MS direct method were 58.55% at the genus level and 22.24% at the species level. The rates of agreement between identification using morphology and the MALDI-TOF MS extraction method were 84.97% at the genus level and 46.11% at the species level. Using sequencing, 87.5% agreement was found for identification with the MALDI-TOF MS extraction method, as compared with only 43.75% for the direct method.The results suggest that the optimal approach to identification of filamentous fungi is a combination of morphological features and MALDI-TOF MS using the extraction method.

FHSM VP-5515 is a medium-sized russellosaurine mosasaur collected in the 1970s in Logan County, western Kansas, USA. A suite of cranial features are unique to this specimen at the species level. One is a conspicuous lack of a predental rostrum on the premaxilla, whose dentigerous portion is spatula shaped in dorsoventral aspect. Furthermore, the frontal of FHSM VP-5515 exhibits the following unique combination of features: (1) the median dorsal keel absent; (2) straight, long preorbital borders converging anteriorly at 30° from each other; and (3) supraorbital border thick and extensive, clearly separating the prefrontal and the postorbitofrontal above the orbit. The fifth character pertains to the uniquely square outline of the intramandibular joint surface of the splenial, resulting from a robust dorsomedial flange. Finally, hitherto unreported on any mosasaur jaws, a deep notch excavates the dorsal border of the articular immediately posterior to the glenoid fossa. Examination of preexisting Ectenosaurus specimens suggests that this articular notching diagnoses the genus. Based on the unique suite of characteristics including the articular notch, we consequently hypothesize the following for FHSM VP-5515: (1) it is most comparable with the enigmatic russellosaurine Ectenosaurus clidastoides (Merriam, 1894); and (2) it represents a new species of Ectenosaurus.

Daecheongdo and Socheongdo Islands are located in the West Sea of Korea, 210 km away from land, and are military border areas very close to North Korea, making them difficult to access. Although the ecosystem of the islands is relatively well preserved due to the lack of accessibility, research on fungi of the regions is insufficient. Therefore, we aimed to investigate indigenous fungi in these geographically and geopolitically constrained regions. A survey of the indigenous fungal diversity of the islands was conducted in 2018. All specimens were identified at the species level based on morphological and molecular analyses. Among them, six macrofungi—namely, Agaricus menieri, Crepidotus praecipuus, Dichomitus squalens, Hortiboletus amygdalinus, Melanoleuca friesii, and Trametes lactinea—were not previously reported in Korea. Considering that the proportion of unrecorded species is high in the survey area and period as well as the number of samples collected, similar research on adjacent islands may be necessary.

14 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, 1 appendix, [EN] Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a promising management tool for the conservation and recovery of marine ecosystems, as well as fishery management. MPAs are generally established as permanent closures but marine systems are dynamic, which has generated debate in favour of more dynamic designs. As a consequence, the identification of priority areas should assess their persistence in space and time. Here, we develop a step-by-step approach to assess the spatiotemporal dynamics of fishery management priority areas using standard fishery-independent survey data. To do so, we fit Bayesian hierarchical spatiotemporal SDM (species distribution model) models to different commercially important demersal species and use the resulting maps to fit different spatial prioritisation configurations. The proposed method is illustrated through a western Mediterranean case study using fishery-independent trawl survey data on six commercially important species collected over 17 years. We use these results to assess the spatiotemporal dynamics of fishery priority areas. We identified two fishery priority area patterns in the study area, each predominant during a different time period of the study, asserting the importance of regularly reassessing MPA designs, [FR] Les aires marines protégées (AMP) constituent un outil de gestion prometteur pour la conservation et le rétablissement des écosystèmes marins, ainsi que pour la gestion des pêches. Si les AMP sont généralement établies comme zones interdites à la pêche permanentes, le caractère dynamique des systèmes marins est à l’origine d’arguments en faveur d’une conception plus dynamique de ces aires. La délimitation de secteurs prioritaires devrait ainsi comprendre une évaluation de leur persistance dans l’espace et le temps. Nous présentons une approche par étape pour évaluer la dynamique spatiotemporelle de secteurs prioritaires pour la gestion des pêches qui fait appel à des données d’évaluation indépendantes des pêches standards. Pour ce faire, nous ajustons des modèles de répartition d’espèces (MRE) spatiotemporels hiérarchiques bayésiens à différentes espèces démersales d’importance commerciale et utilisons les cartes ainsi produites pour ajuster différentes configurations de priorisation spatiale. La méthode proposée est illustrée par une étude de cas de l’ouest de la mer Méditerranée qui fait appel à des données de relevés au chalut indépendantes de la pèche pour six espèces d’importance commerciale, recueillies sur 17 années. Nous utilisons ces résultats pour évaluer la dynamique spatiotemporelle de secteurs prioritaires pour la pêche. Nous cernons deux motifs de secteurs prioritaires pour la pêche dans la région d’étude, chacun étant prédominant durant différentes périodes de l’étude, ce qui souligne l’importance d réévaluer régulièrement la conception des AMP, MEDITS project has been co-funded since 1994 by the EU through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) within the National Program of collection, management and use of data in the fishery sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy. IP would like to thank the Fundación Biodiversidad (Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment) for the funding provided and the invaluable help provided to access the required data. DC and ALQ also thank the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación—Agencia Estatal de Investigación for grant PID2019-106341GB-I00 (jointly financed by the European Regional Development Fund, FEDER). MGP also thanks the IMPRESS (RTI2018-099868-B-I00) project, ERDF, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities—State Research Agency. JG was supported by the Spanish National Program Juan de la Cierva-Formación (FJC2019-040016-I). This work acknowledges the “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence” accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S) to the Institute of Marine Science (ICM-CSIC)

Indoor microbiome exposure is important for asthma development, but current studies characterize the microbiome at the genus or above levels due to technical limitations. We aim to profile bacterial and fungal composition and concentration at the species level and assess its potential health effects. Four hundred sixty-three students from 8 junior high schools in Terengganu, Malaysia, were surveyed for asthma symptoms. Full-length PacBio amplicon sequencing and qPCR were conducted to quantify the absolute microbial concentration in the vacuum dust of the selected classroom. In total, 1358 bacterial and 358 fungal species were characterized, and drastic compositional variation was observed among classrooms. Three-level linear regression analyses revealed that taxa richness in Cyanobacteria were negatively associated with asthma (FDR

Purpose of Review Coccidioidomycosis is an infectious disease that gained clinical significance in the early 20th century. Many of the foundational contributions to coccidioidomycosis research, including the discovery of the fungal disease agent, Coccidioides spp., were made by women. We review recent progress in Coccidioides research and big questions remaining in the field, while highlighting some of the contributions from women. Recent Findings New molecular-based techniques provide a promising method for detecting Coccidioides, which can help determine the dominate reservoir host and ideal environmental conditions for growth. Genetic and genomic analyses have allowed an understanding of population structure, species level diversity, and evolutionary histories. We present a current, comprehensive genome list, where women contributed many of these entries. Several efforts to develop a coccidioidomycosis vaccine are underway. Summary Women continue to pioneer research on Coccidioides, including the relationships between the fungi and the environment, genetics, and clinical observations. Significant questions remain in the field of Coccidioides, including the main host reservoir, the relationships between genotypic and phenotypic variation, and the underlying cause for chronic clinical coccidioidomycosis cases.

Non-bovine milk is an underappreciated type of milk with geographical characteristics of production, consumption and nutrition. Although the structure similarity of microbial community from the different types of non-bovine milk are very different, the composition of microbial community, especially those belonging to pathogenic bacteria or lactic acid bacteria in non-bovine milk, may be more diverse than that of cow milk. Microbial community analysis based on high-throughput sequencing coupled with microbial annotation on species level, environmental factors of milk producing areas, and milk nutritional composition is considered to be very necessary strategy in future research of non-bovine milk. This review provides a reference for evaluating food safety and nutrition of non-bovine milk and dairy products.

A acacicultura é uma importante fonte de renda para o Rio Grande do Sul, estando entre as três principais culturas de espécies florestais exóticas presentes no Estado. O objetivo do presente trabalho é analisar quali-quantitativamente as espécies de insetos da Ordem Coleoptera associadas a um plantio de A. mearnsii. Para isso, foram instaladas 36 armadilhas etanólicas de interceptação de voo em um plantio de A. mearnsii, onde foram realizadas quatro coletas quinzenais. Após a coleta, os insetos capturados foram acondicionados em recipientes devidamente identificados e levados ao laboratório para triagem. Foram coletados 440 espécimes de coleópteros, distribuídos em 23 famílias, 82 morfoespécies; destas, 41 foram identificadas em nível de espécie e 41 em nível de gênero. Cerambycidae e Scarabaeidae foram as famílias mais abundantes, perfazendo 32,83% e 12,93% do total de espécimes coletados, respectivamente. Euetheola humilis, com 27 espécimes, teve destaque, sendo a espécie mais abundante.

Marine microbes often show a high degree of physiological or ecological diversity below the species level. This microdiversity raises questions about the processes that drive diversification and permit coexistence of diverse yet closely-related marine microbes, especially given the theoretical efficiency of competitive exclusion. Here, we provide insight with an 8-year time series of diversity within Synechococcus, a widespread and important marine picophytoplankter. The population of Synechococcus on the Northeast U.S. Shelf is comprised of six main types, each of which displays a distinct and consistent seasonal pattern. With compositional data analysis, we show that these patterns can be reproduced with a simple model that couples differential responses to temperature and light with the seasonal cycle of the physical environment. These observations support the hypothesis that temporal variability in environmental factors can maintain microdiversity in marine microbial populations. We also identify how seasonal diversity patterns directly determine overarching Synechococcus population abundance features. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Providing suitable drinking water for human use is a major goal in all countries, and contamination of drinking water with microorganisms represents a great danger to human health. Free-living amoebae (FLAs, Pathogenic) are found in all natural and manufactured environments, including aquatic environments. Several FLAs such as Acanthamoeba spp. infect humans, causing dangerous diseases. The purpose of this investigation was to search about FLAs in tap water in Nasr City, Cairo. FLAs were detected in 59 (53.63 %) out of 110 tap water samples which were morphologically identified as two Acanthamoeba spp. The molecular identification to the species level was carried out, using a simple PCR technique and DNA sequencing. Acanthamoeba spp. were recorded in the gene bank under accession numbers Acanthamoeba MT944118 and Acanthamoeba MT944119.

In plant pathology, the correct naming of a species is essential for determining the causal agents of disease. Species names not only serve the general purpose of concise communication, but also are critical for effective plant quarantine, preventing the introduction of new pathogens into a territory. Many phytopathogenic genera have multiple species and, in several genera, disagreements between the multiple prevailing species concept definitions result in numerous cryptic species. Some of these species were previously called by various names; forma speciales (specialised forms), subspecies, or pathotypes. However, based on new molecular evidence they are being assigned into new species. The frequent name changes and lack of consistent criteria to delineate cryptic species, species, subspecies, forms, and races create increasing confusion, often making communication among biologists arduous. Furthermore, such ambiguous information can convey misleading evolutionary concepts and species boundaries. The aim of this paper is to review these concepts, clarify their use, and evaluate them by referring to existing examples. We specifically address the question, “Do plant pathogens require a different ranking system?” We conclude that it is necessary to identify phytopathogens to species level based on data from multiple approaches. Furthermore, this identification must go beyond species level to clearly classify hitherto known subspecies, forms and races. In addition, when naming phytopathogenic genera, plant pathologists should provide more information about geographic locations and host ranges as well as host specificities for individual species, cryptic species, forms or races. When describing a new phytopathogen, we suggest that authors provide at least three representative strains together with pathogenicity test results. If Koch’s postulates cannot be fulfilled, it is necessary to provide complementary data such as associated disease severity on the host plant. Moreover, more sequenced collections of species causing diseases should be published in order to stabilise the boundaries of cryptic species, species, subspecies, forms, and races.

Background Legionellosis is caused by the inhalation of aerosolized water contaminated with Legionella bacteria. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of Legionella species in aerosols collected from outdoor sites near asphalt roads, bathrooms in public bath facilities, and other indoor sites, such as buildings and private homes, using amoebic co-culture, quantitative PCR, and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Results Legionella species were not detected by amoebic co-culture. However, Legionella DNA was detected in 114/151 (75.5%) air samples collected near roads (geometric mean ± standard deviation: 1.80 ± 0.52 log10 copies/m3), which was comparable to the numbers collected from bathrooms [15/21 (71.4%), 1.82 ± 0.50] but higher than those collected from other indoor sites [11/30 (36.7%), 0.88 ± 0.56] (P Legionella DNA was correlated with the monthly total precipitation (r = 0.56, P r = 0.21, P = 0.01) and one day (r = − 0.29, P Legionella species were detected in 9/30 samples collected near roads (mean proportion of reads, 0.11%). At the species level, L. pneumophila was detected in 2/30 samples collected near roads (the proportion of reads, 0.09 and 0.11% of the total reads number in each positive sample). The three most abundant bacterial genera in the samples collected near roads were Sphingomonas, Streptococcus, and Methylobacterium (mean proportion of reads; 21.1%, 14.6%, and 1.6%, respectively). In addition, the bacterial diversity in outdoor environment was comparable to that in indoor environment which contains aerosol-generating features and higher than that in indoor environment without the features. Conclusions DNA from Legionella species was widely present in aerosols collected from outdoor sites near asphalt roads, especially during the rainy season. Our findings suggest that there may be a risk of exposure to Legionella species not only in bathrooms but also in the areas surrounding asphalt roads. Therefore, the possibility of contracting legionellosis in daily life should be considered.

Until now, very little is known about the ability of adult and deutonymph water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) to survive in sub-zero temperatures. Information concerns mainly water mites from vernal astatic waters, and the knowledge has never been experimentally verified. To determine the sensitivity of water mites to freezing, experiments were conducted on (1) the impact of acclimatization, (2) temperature, and (3) duration of freezing on survival, (4) the survival rate of water mites from various types of water bodies, and (5) the survival rate of water mites from different climatic zones. The experiments were carried out in a phytotron chamber, and water mites were placed in containers (10 × 10 × 5 cm) filled with 4/5 of water for 10 specimens each. Water mites were identified to the species level after finishing the experiments. The temperature was lowered 1 °C every hour until the target temperature was reached. After a certain period of freezing (depending on the treatment) the temperature was raised by 1 °C every hour until it reached 4 °C. The time of the experiment was measured from the moment the desired temperature was reached (below 0 °C) until the ice thawed and the temperature of 4 °C was reached again. The highest survival rates had Limnochares aquatica, Piona nodata, Sperchon clupeifer and Lebertia porosa, followed by L. insignis, Hygrobates longipalpis, H. setosus, Limnesia undulatoides, Piona pusilla, Arrenurus globator, Hydrodroma despiciens, Piona longipalpis, Sperchonopsis verrucosa, Unionicola crassipes and Mideopsis crassipes; no specimens of Torrenticola amplexa survived. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) water mites can survive freezing to −2 °C, lower temperatures are lethal for them; (2) they survived better the short period of freezing (24–48 h) than the long period (168 h); (3) resistance to freezing seems to be an evolutionary trait of individual species, only partly related to the living environment; and (4) freezing survival rates are linked to the region of Europe and are much lower in Southern than in Central Europe.

Strawberry is economically important. Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum spp. has been a serious threat to this crop globally. To detect and distinguish latent Colletotrichum spp. infection on asymptomatic plants at an affordable cost is crucial for this disease control and the sustainability of strawberry industry. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay is superior for the higher sensitiveness, efficiency, and lower cost than other methods for pathogen diagnosis. In this study, six previously reported barcodes were evaluated against DNA templates from strawberry fungal pathogens including six Colletotrichum species and five beyond this genus, and further verified in 40 Colletotrichum isolates. Based on the discernibility revealed, a LAMP assay was developed for the diagnosis of Colletotrichum spp. by designing six primers recognizing the conserved regions in β-tubulin 2 gene from 13 Colletotrichum species of C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum complexes. The specificity and accuracy of LAMP assay was tested against six Colletotrichum species of two complexes, with a detection sensitivity of 100 pg/μL genomic DNA. Current LAMP assay beginning with a 10 min plant lysis enabled a direct and quick diagnosis of Colletotrichum spp. in strawberry within one hour. Followed by PCR using primers specific to ApMat, Marker 2, and Marker 1, this assay could specifically differentiate Colletotrichum species, at least for the dominant species C. fructicola and C. siamense in China, realizing a diagnosis of latent infection at a species level. Current LAMP-PCR combined protocol allows for a sensitive and efficient detection and differentiation of latent Colletotrichum infection on strawberry, which will be useful for disease management and monitoring pathogen population.

Rhododendron, large vascular plant genera with tens of thousands of cultivars, possesses valuable horticultural, medicinal, and ecological properties. However, the genetic studies have been hindered due to lack of effective genetic markers. In this study, microsatellite markers have been developed in R. obtusum Hort. ex Wats. variety 'Yanzhimi' based on RNA-seq. Di-nucleotide repeats (23,849, 63.131%) were the main type, followed by mono-nucleotide (8.544, 22.6169%) and tri-nucleotide motifs (4,078, 10.7949%). In particular, A/T (8,237, 21.804%), AG/CT (20,546, 54.388%), AAG/CTT (1,182, 3.129%), AAAG/CTTT (50, 0.132%) were dominant for mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-nucleotide repeat types, respectively. Totally, 30 EST-SSR markers gave out 196 polymorphic bands with an average of 6.53 bands per locus. NA and NE ranged from 3 to 17 and 1.28 to 6.75, with average values of 6.53 and 2.98, respectively. Rhododendron cultivars possessed relatively high genetic diversity at species level (with the average PIC value of 0.647), and frequent gene flow occurred with the mean value of 3.89. These 94 accessions could be clustered into 4 pops, and cultivars of the same origin and those bred by related parents tended to be clustered together. The clustering and fingerprint profiles effectively supported the authentication of tested cultivars. These EST-SSR markers could be used for further cultivar identification, marker-assisted selection, as well as identification of gene-trait relationship in Rhododendron species.

Bioacoustic methods play an increasingly important role for the detection of insects in a range of surveillance and monitoring programmes.Weak‐flying insects evade detection because they do not yield sufficient audio information to capture wingbeat and harmonic frequencies. These inaudible insects often pose a significant threat to food security as pests of key agricultural crops worldwide.Automatic detection of such insects is crucial to the future of crop protection by providing critical information to assess the risk to a crop and the need for preventative measures.We describe an experimental set‐up designed to derive audio recordings from a range of weak‐flying aphids and beetles using an LED array.A rigorous data processing pipeline was developed to extract meaningful features, linked to morphological characteristics, from the audio and harmonic series for six aphid and two beetle species.An ensemble of over 50 bioacoustic parameters was used to achieve species discrimination with a success rate of 80%. The inclusion of the dominant and fundamental frequencies improved prediction between beetles and aphids because of large differences in wingbeat frequencies.At the species level, error rates were minimized when harmonic features were supplemented by features indicative of differences in species' flight energies., Data processing pipeline for the automatic identifcation of weak‐flying insects. Insects fly through an opto‐acoustic sensor triggering an audio recording to be made of the sound of their flight. Data are then processed to enable feature extraction. These features are fed into classification algorithms, namely random forests, which are then checked for validity before being sent to the end user for interpretation.

In the central-western and southern regions of Brazil, the cultivation of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is considered an important source of forest extraction, besides providing an alternative income, especially for families. The yerba mate, like other forest species, is infected by several pathogens, such as fungi of the genus Fusarium, causing root rot. Pathogens have wide genetic variability, even within a single genus and species, resulting from adaptations to their environments. This study aimed at characterizing molecularly isolated Fusarium spp. through the sequencing of the ITS and β-tubulin genome regions, identifying the species level as well as the formation of vegetative compatibility groups (VCG) among these isolates of the root rot pathogen in yerba mate. The sequencing of the ITS and β-tubulin regions, defined the separation between the seven pathogenic isolates of F. solani and F. oxysporum. For the same isolates, the technique to obtain nit mutants was suitable for the phenotypic classification, obtaining five VCGs for species of Fusarium, root rot in yerba mate.

SummaryPHIST (Phage-Host Interaction Search Tool) predicts prokaryotic hosts of viruses from their genomic sequences. It improves host prediction accuracy at species level over current alignment-based tools (on average by 3 percentage points) as well as alignment-free and CRISPR-based tools (by 14–20 percentage points). PHIST is also two orders of magnitude faster than alignment-based tools making it suitable for metagenomics studies.Availability and implementationGNU-licensed C++ code wrapped in Python API available at: https://github.com/refresh-bio/phistContactandrzej.zielezinski@amu.edu.pl, adam.gudys@polsl.plSupplementary informationSupplementary data are available at publisher Web site.

Infraspecific taxa (subspecies, races and varieties) are often seen as real entities in nature and recognized as biologically meaningful groups. But because infraspecific taxa by definition are subdivisions of species, their status depends entirely on the status of ‘their’ species. This makes the status of infraspecific taxa crucially dependent on the way species are considered and thus on the various species concepts that have been advanced as answers to the ‘species problem’. Accordingly, there is a profound lack of clarity regarding the following questions. What are infraspecific taxa? What is their biological meaning? Are they real entities or merely instrumental units? When should an infraspecific group be ranked and named as an infraspecific taxon? In this paper, we aim to contribute to greater clarity about these issues by examining which types of infraspecific groups are biologically meaningful in light of the main results from the species debate.

The R. dianneae species group of the genus Rosenbergia is described and enlarged with the additional descriptions of R. cheesmanae sp. nov. and R. valentinae eki ssp. nov. Adult genitalia are depicted. The R. weiskei species group is analysed and Rosenbergia valentinae Rigout, 2004 stat. nov. is raised to species level and no longer considered a subspecies of R. dianneae Allard, 1990. The rediscovery of the holotype of Rosenbergia humeralis Gilmour, 1966 allows for the description of the male of this species. After extensive research, the holotype of R. dianneae is considered lost and a neotype has been designated., Acknowledgments. We want to warmly thank Dr. Jean-Roch Houllier, Paris, for his kindness in waiting to see this paper published. Dr. Harold Labrique, Cédric Audibert and David Besson, Musée des Confluences, Centre de conservation et d'étude des collections, Lyon, France, for their valuable and professional help in providing us with detailed pictures of Rosenbergia drawer in the Lepesme collection and the labels of the R. humeralis holotype. Without them part of this work would not have been possible. Mr. Arnaud, France, Mr. Gerhard Beinhunder and Mr. Alfred Punchner, Austria; Prof. Renzo Perissinotto, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa, for their assistance in locating Vincent Allard's collection. Special thanks to Dr. Henrik Wallin, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden; Thierry Porion, France, Jacques Rigout, Canada and many other researchers and collectors who kindly helped us to trace important specimens useful for our research. Last but not least, thanks to the most generous man that we have had the good fortune to know through entomology, Mr. Bhaskara from Malang, Indonesia, and his wife, with the great wish to continue a belief in the kindness of human beings. Thanks to Dr. Francesco Vitali, National Museum of Natural History, Luxembourg, for editing this manuscript and anonymous reviewers for suggestions and corrections., {"references":["Allard, V. (1990) Diagnose d'un nouveau Rosenbergia Ritsema (Col., Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Batocerini). Bulletin de la Société Sciences Nat, 66: 20","Breuning, S. (1980) Noveaux Lamiinae de NouvelleGuinée. Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France. 85(5-6): 132-133.","Casadio, C.A. (2006) Remarks about the holotype of Rosenbergia straussi (Gestro, 1876) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Batocerini). Lambillionea, 106: 29-34.","Gardner J.A. (1989) Revision of the Genera of the Tribe Stigmoderini (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) with a Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships. Invertr. Taxon, 3: 291-361.","Gilmour, E.F. (1959) Revision of the genus Rosenbergia Ritsema. Idea. Journal of the Entomological Society of Indonesia, Vol. 12, Part 2, 3 & 4, 15: 40-51.","Gilmour, E.F. (1960) Revision of the genus Rosenbergia Ritsema. Idea. Journal of the Entomological Society of Indonesia, 13 (1-2): 1-34.","Gilmour, E.F. (1963) Revision of the Batocerini. Genera Doesburgia, Aprionella, Microcriodes, Pseudapriona, Parapriona and Anapriona (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae). Entomologische Abhandlungen aus dem Staatlichen Museum für Tierkunde in Dresden, 29 (7): 475-491.","Gilmour, E.F. (1966) Revision of the genus Rosenbergia Ritsema. Reichenbachia, Bd. 6 (30): 245-261.","Grasso, M. & Casadio C.A. (2020) A new species of Apriona Chevrolat 1852 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) from Western New Guinea. Holotipus rivista di zoologia sistematica e tassonomia, I (2): 37-47.","Holmen, M. (1987) The aquatic Adephaga (Coleoptera) of Fennoscadia and Denmark. I. Gyrinidae, Halipslisae and Noteridae. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, vol. 20, E. J. Brill, Copenhagen, 169 pp.","ICZN (1999) International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (4th Edition). The Natural History Museum, London, 306 pp.","Mayr, E. (1979) Animal Species and Evolution. Belknap, Cambridge, 797 pp","Rigout, J. (1982) Les Coléoptères du Monde. The Beetles of the world Vol. 2. Batocerini. Sciences Nat, Compiegne, 128pp.","Rigout, J. (1994) Vincent Allard (18 décembre 1921 - 22 janvier 1994). Bulletin de la Société Sciences Nat, 81: 3-5.","Rigout, J. (2004) Les Coléopterès du Monde. The Beetles of the world. 2 suppl. 1: Rosenbergia, new or little known Rosenbergia. Hillside Books, Canterbury, 12 pp.","Ritsema, C. (1881) On a new genus of longicorn Coleoptera belonging to the group of the Batoceridae. Notes from Leyden Museum, Note V, Vol. III: 11-14.","Wallin, H. & Nylander, U. (2006) Description of the genitalia characteristics of species within the Rosenbergia xenium Gilmour 1959 complex and related species. A taxonomic revision. Part 1 (Coleoptera Cerambycidae). Lambillionea CVI (3), Supplement I: 1-20.","Wallin, H. & Nylander, U. (2007) Description of the genitalia characteristics of species within the Rosenbergia weiskei Heller 1902 complex and related species, including the description of a new species of Rosenbergia. Lambillionea CVII (1), Supplement I: 1-29."]}