E-ISSN : 2713-8615
Selaginella austrotibetica, a new spikemoss species from China, is described. The species is epipetric and was found on a moss-covered rocky cliff by a riverbank. Morphologically, it is unlike any anisosporophyllous species in the genus Selaginella. However, it resembles species of the S. sanguinolenta group, especially similar to S. sajanensis in gross morphology, except for the characters of strobilus. The molecular phylogenetic analysis clearly showed that S. austrotibetica was nested within the anisosporophyllous species clade, forming a sister relationship with the clade of S. vaginata and S. xipholepis, and distinct from the S. sanguinolenta group, including S. sajanensis. Although S. austrotibetica is sister to the clade of S. vaginata and S. xipholepis, the species can be clearly distinguished by its sparse leaves on branches, dorsal leaves that are broad-ovate, base obtuse to rounded, margin denticulate or very shortly sparsely ciliolate, and leaves that are slightly thick and shiny. Therefore, we described Selaginella austrotibetica as a new species and discuss its phylogenetic relationships within the genus Selaginella.
In this study, 11 strains of epilithic cyanobacteria belonging to six unrecorded species in Korea were isolated from gravel submerged in freshwater of seven collection sites in Korea. The morphological characteristics of the six species isolated in this study were consistent with the type strain of each species, and the similarity of the 16S rRNA gene sequences with the type strain of each species were 98.8-100%. In the phylogenetic tree using the 16S rRNA gene sequences, the 11 strains of these six species formed the same cluster as the strains of each species. The habitat of each previously reported species is mainly the soil surface, but all Korean strains appeared from the gravel submerged in freshwater. As a result of the morphological, ecological, and molecular analyses, these six species of cyanobacteria were identified as Geminocystis papuanica, Allocoleopsis franciscana, Ancylothrix terrestris, Klisinema persicum, Scytolyngbya timoleontis, and Shackletoniella antarctica, which were added as newly recorded species in Korea.
Five new species of the genus Hyattella (Dictyoceratida: Spongiidae) were collected from Jejudo and Gageodo, Korea: Hy. gukheulensis n. sp., Hy. regularis n. sp., Hy. lenis n. sp., Hy. membrana n. sp., and Hy. asper n. sp. Hyattella gukheulensis n. sp. is similar to Hy. munseomensis Sim et al., 2015 in shape, but differs in skeletal structure. Hyattella regularis n. sp. is close to Hy. bakusi Sim et al., 2015 but differs in regular secondary fibres at the surface membrane. Hyattella lenis n. sp. is unique by having numerous windings at the surface. Hyattella membrana n. sp. is similar to Hy. bakusi Sim et al., 2015 in shape, but differs in surface and skeletal fibres. Hyattella asper n. sp. is close to Hy. lendenfeldi Sim and Lee, 2014 in skeletal fibres, but differs in thin secondary fibres. This new species has numerous dense cored primary fibres.
Chironomus is a large genus of Diptera comprising about 400 species and occurs worldwide except for Antarctica. The strong morphological cross-taxon similarity of chironomid larvae renders identification at the species level difficult. Here, we analyzed the morphology of larvae of Chironomus flaviplumus, an easily cultured species employed as a bioindicator in polluted environments, to determine identifying morphological characteristics at the first through fourth instar. Observed differences appearing at each instar include the presence or absence of setae on the body and tubules on the 10th and 11th body segment, the number of seta interna in the mandible, and the presence or absence of ring organs in the antennae. Some specific morphological characteristics did not change after hatching. Our findings provide a reliable method for identifying C. flaviplumus larvae.
We performed a taxonomic study on Korean freshwater bryozoans with the materials collected from 70 localities during 2014 to 2016. A total of 14 Korean freshwater bryozoans are reported through this study. Among them, three Plumatellids, Plumatella fungosa (Pallas, 1768), P. repens (Linnaeus, 1758), and P. reticulata Wood, 1988, are newly added to the Korean fauna. Three species were redescribed with only their statoblasts: Lophopodella carteri, Plumatella rugosa, and Stephanosella hina (Seo, 1998; 2005; Chae et al., 2016). Their colonies were found in Korea for the first time in this study. Since Fredericella sultana, Hyalinella punctata, and Plumatella casmiana were reported from Korea (Toriumi, 1941), neither statoblast nor colony has been found, but we observed them. Living colonies of six species were photographed in the field. Furthermore, the statoblasts of nine species, including three species new to the Korean fauna, were also documented using scanning electron microscopy.
During an investigation of unrecorded prokaryotic species in Korea, six unrecorded bacterial strains were isolated from soil samples collected from Uljin-gun. Based on a similarity search using the 16S rRNA gene sequence of the isolated strains and the construction of the neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree, five strains were identified to the genus Pseudomonas of the family Pseudomonadaceae, while one strain was identified as a species belonging to the genus Paenibacillus of the family Paenibacillaceae. The details of these unreported species, including gram staining reaction, colony and cell morphology, basic biochemical characteristics, strain ID, and isolation source, are described in the description of the strains.
Macrofungi are essential decomposers in the forest environment. Although more than 70% of the land is mountainous, there has been a lack of research on mushroom diversity in Korea compared to the global species estimation. For this reason, the need for further research became apparent. The surveys were conducted from 2014 to 2022 nationwide. As a result, 15 unrecorded macrofungal species were discovered: Agaricus thiersii, Baorangia alexandri, Boletellus putuoensis, Entoloma bulakhae, Entoloma pygmaeopapillatum, Entoloma subtenuicystidiatum, Gerronema kuruvense, Hyphoderma nudicephalum, Hyphoderma tenue, Macrolepiota subcitrophylla, Mycena jingyinga, Mycena yuezhuoi, Ophiocordyceps vespulae, Scytinostroma acystidiatum, and Steccherinum straminellum. These species are identified based on morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the nuclear large subunit rRNA (LSU) region. Here, we provided macro- and micro-morphological figures with phylogenetic trees to support 15 species as unrecorded to Korea.
Larger benthic foraminifera (LBF) are a group of marine organisms that inhabit oligotrophic subtropical-tropical photic zones, commonly possess relatively large shells (i.e., tests) with a complex internal structure and host photosynthetic endosymbionts. In this study, we provide a new report of a LBF species belonging to the genus Sorites Ehrenberg, 1839, with a brief description and images of the test. The sediment samples were collected by SCUBA diving from the east coast of Jeju Island (South Korea). The discoidal test shape and annular series of chamberlets with a single row of apertures surrounded by rim indicate that these specimens belong to the genus Sorites, and this is the first record of the genus in Korea. The arrangement of early chamberlets, septular disposition, and the aperture details suggest that the specimens can be assigned to Sorites orbiculus (Forsskål in Niebuhr, 1775). Only three LBF species, including the present species, have been reported from Korean waters. The present study provides additional information for the evaluation of foraminiferal diversity including LBF in Korea and suggests the necessity of continuous investigations to understand the diversity of Sorites species in Korea.
The purpose of this study was to isolate and identify wild yeasts from soil samples collected in Daegu and Cheongju city, Republic of Korea. To identify the wild yeast strains, pairwise sequence comparisons of D1/D2 region of the 26S rRNA gene sequence were done using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST). The cell morphologies were observed by phase contrast microscope and assimilation test are done using API 20C AUX kit. All strains were assigned to the phylum Basidiomycota. Among 13 strains, 11 strains were previously reported, but two strains were unreported from the Republic of Korea. The two unrecorded yeast strains, GW1-3 and PG1-1-10C, belong to the genus Solicoccozyma (family Piskurozymaceae, order Filobasidiales, class Tremellomycetes). The two strains had oval-shaped and polar budding cells. This research showed the morphological and biochemical properties of the two unreported yeast species that had not officially reported in Korea.
The purpose of this study was to isolate and identify wild yeasts from soil samples collected in Seoul and Daejeon, Republic of Korea. To identify wild yeast strains, pairwise sequence comparisons of D1/D2 region of the 26S rRNA gene sequence were done using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST). The cell morphologies were observed by phase contrast microscope and carbon source assimilation test were done using API 20C AUX kit. Among the 13 isolated strains, 11 strains were previously reported, but two strains have never been reported from Republic of Korea. The 13 strains were assigned to the phylum Basidiomycota. The two unrecorded yeast strains B2UV-201 and DJ1-5-B-10C belong to the genera Rhodotorula and Rhodosporidiobolus, respectively. The two unrecorded yeast strains are oval shaped and polar budding cells. This research focuses on the morphological and biochemical properties of the two unreported yeast species that have not officially been reported in Korea.