Characterizing the taxonomic diversity of microbial communities is one of the primary objectives of metagenomic studies. Taxonomic analysis of microbial communities, a process referred to as binning, is challenging for the following reasons. Primarily, query sequences originating from the genomes of most microbes in an environmental sample lack taxonomically related sequences in existing refere...

Three new species, Cantharellus phasmatis, Cantharellus flavus and Cantharellus spectaculus, all previously considered Cantharellus cibarius, are described in this study. The circumscription of these three species from C. cibarius and other Cantharellus species is supported by morphological differences and nuclear DNA sequence data (nLSU, ITS, TEF1). All were found under Quercus spp. in a small...

Comparative morphological and metric study of proboscidean dental fossils from the Quartzose (QSM) and Pelletal Phosphate (PPM) Members of the Varswater Formation at Langebaanweg, South Africa, identifies the presence in the fauna of an anancine gomphothere and two species of elephant. The gomphothere, from the QSM and PPM, displays a unique combination of primitive and derived molar features, ...

A taxonomic study of the South Korean Hydraenidae is presented. Eight species in two genera are recognized, one of which is reported for the first time in the Korean peninsula, Ochthebius marinus (Paykull). It was also found that Hydraena riparia Kugelann and Ochthebius inermis Sharp previously recorded in South Korea were incorrect identifications of Hydraena puetzi Jäch and Ochthebius lobatus...

Enchodontoidei are extinct marine teleost fishes with a long temporal range and a wide geographic distribution. As there has been no comprehensive phylogenetic study of this taxon, we performed a parsimony analysis using a data matrix with 87 characters, 31 terminal taxa for ingroup, and three taxa for outgroup. The analysis produced 93 equally parsimonious trees (L = 437 steps; CI = 0.24; RI =...

Three serologically distinct groups of spiroplasmas have been recovered from ticks. Spiroplasma mirum strains (from rabbit ticks, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris) and Y32 group (VI) spiroplasmas (from Ixodes pacificus) are the only spiroplasmas to have a clear association with these arthropods. Group (VI) spiroplasmas are distinguished by an unusual nonhelical morphology and their capacity to he...

Taxonomists in the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, specialise in the classification of flora from around the world. The classification of flora is a complex task involving historical records, literature references and specimens collected from the field. Using this information the taxonomists formulate classifications which are continually under review and vary between taxonomists. Currently th...