Molecular investigation of the phylogenetic placement of Kartalinia and a revision of Bituminaria (Fabaceae: Psoraleeae)

Revisiting the Genus Mariosousa (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) with Complete Taxon Sampling and New Molecular and Morphological Evidence

Mariosousa , a genus segregated from Acacia sensu lato due to morphological and genetic distinctions, is hypothesized to be monophyletic but requires further investigation with expanded taxon sampling and integrated analyses. This study aimed to test the monophyly of Mariosousa , evaluate its infrageneric relationships, and reassess morphological characters within a robust molecular phylogenetic framework. Molecular analyses were performed on all members of the genus Mariosousa and select taxa from its sister genus Parasenegalia and close ally Senegalia . Multiple molecular markers were used, including nuclear ITS and two chloroplast loci ( psbA-trnH and trnL-F ), to infer relationships substantiated with multiple accessions of several taxa. Additionally, a data matrix composed of fifty-eight morphological characters was analyzed by hierarchical clustering and ordination approaches to assess taxonomic utility and potential homoplasy. Results confirm the monophyly of Mariosousa and clarify relationships within the genus, although some incongruences are observed between the gene trees. Overall, we contribute fifty-seven new DNA sequences for fifteen taxa and confirm the sister relationship of Parasenegalia to Mariosousa . Our phenetic analyses resulted in species clustering according to genera, which agreed with molecular findings, but we found no simple synapomorphies that correlated with taxonomic delimitations as discussed. The combined phylogenetic and phenetic study advances our understanding of evolutionary relationships and morphological features for closely allied monophyletic sister taxa Mariosousa and Parasenegalia and have implications for future revisions of related mimosoid genera, such as Senegalia and Pseudosenegalia .

Integrative Phylogenetic Study of Bulbophyllum Species (Orchidaceae), Based on Morphological Characters, nrITS and psbA-trnH Sequences.

Taxonomic revision of the genus Conophymacris Willemse, 1933 (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) based on morphology and mitochondrial genomes

The genus Conophymacris belongs to Acridoidea, Dericorythidae, and Conophyminae. It is an endemic brachypterous grasshopper genus in China, with 11 described species primarily distributed in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces. Despite previous taxonomic and phylogenetic studies on Conophymacris, there remain many doubts about this genus at various taxonomic levels. In this study, based on 56 newly sequenced mitochondrial genome sequences from 13 species, combined with mitochondrial genome data of 29 species retrieved from NCBI, phylogenetic relationships between Conophymacris and related genera were reconstructed. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian Inference (BI) methods, based on two mitochondrial datasets: 13 protein-coding genes (13PCGs) and the combined dataset of 13PCGs + 22tRNA + 2rRNA. Integrating molecular phylogenetic, morphological, biogeographical and genetic distance evidence, the following conclusions are drawn: The genus Conophymacris should be removed from Dericorythidae and placed in Acrididae. Five new synonyms are proposed: Xiangelilacris Zheng, Huang & Zhou, 2008, syn. nov. = Conophymacris Willemse, 1933; Xiangelilacris zhongdianensis Zheng, Huang & Zhou, 2008, syn. nov. = Conophymacris xianggelilaensis Zheng, Niu & Shi, 2009, syn. nov. = Conophymacris nigrofemora Liang & Lin, 1993; Conophymacris reni Ye, Shen, Jia & Yin, 2021, syn. nov. = Conophymacris cangshanensis Zheng & Mao, 1996; Conophymacris yunnanensis Zheng, 1977 syn. nov. = Conophymacris chinensis Willemse, 1933.

Morphological and phylogenetic analyses of Gonatobotryum (Dothideaceae, Dothideales), and the description of a new species from a mangrove sediment in Brazil

Gonatobotryum is an anamorphic fungus reported mainly as a saprophyte, parasite, or endophyte. The genus has traditionally been identified based on morphological features, with its phylogenetic placement remaining uncertain due to the lack of molecular data. During the analysis of fungi obtained from mangrove sediments in Brazil, nine isolates were morphologically identified as Gonatobotryum and subsequently analysed using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, including the intervening 5.8S nRNA gene and the nuclear ribosomal RNA large subunit (LSU) gene, leading to the description of a new species, Gonatobotryum mangrovei. Additionally, the type material of Gonatobotryum bahiense was re-evaluated regarding its phylogenetic placement. Here, we propose a new combination, Ophiostoma bahiense, to place this species within the genus. Our results clarify the phylogenetic position of Gonatobotryum and expand the current understanding of fungi in mangrove environments.

Molecular phylogenetics of Thymelaeaceae‐Thymelaeoideae: Resolving the paraphyly of Gnidia  and a new monophyletic generic classification for the group

Earlier phylogenetic analyses of the family Thymelaeaceae using combined plastid ( matK , rbcL ,  rps16, trnL‐F ) and nuclear (ITS) regions showed that the African‐Malagasy genus Gnidia was extensively polyphyletic in relation to the southern African genera Lachnaea , Passerina and Struthiola , as well as to other Southern Hemisphere genera such as Drapetes , Kelleria and Pimelea . We present here a robust and well‐sampled phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Thymelaeoideae, with sampling in Gnidia increased to 76% of the species, to better resolve the polyphyly of the genus . Our analysis retrieved seven lineages of Gnidia nested in four independent evolutionary clades within the “Gnidia group” of the subfamily Thymelaeoideae. We analysed the options available for re‐circumscribing Gnidia as a monophyletic genus, with secondary considerations of nomenclatural stability, phylogenetic and biogeographic information, and ease of identification. The option that we present retains the traditionally recognized genera Drapetes , Kelleria , Lachnaea , Passerina , Pimelea and Struthiola through the recognition of six lineages of Gnidia at the generic level. We propose that Gnidia be retained as a monotypic genus, including only the type of the genus name G. pinifolia . We reinstate the four previously recognized genera Basutica , Craspedostoma , Gnidiopsis and Thymelina and recognize the two new genera Epichroxantha and Phidia for the remaining two lineages of continental African Gnidia for which no names were available, plus the monotypic Zacharia for an anomalous Malagasy species that was previously excluded from Lasiosiphon. A taxonomic key and descriptions are provided for the genera in the “Gnidia group”. We also provide the necessary new combinations for names of Gnidia species now transferred to other genera.

Museomic phylogenomics of Orthosiinae (Apocynaceae) integrating targeted sequencing and morphology

Museum collections offer valuable resources for phylogenetic research, especially in taxonomically challenging groups. Here, we present a phylogenetic study of the South American Apocynaceae subtribe Orthosiinae, based on sequencing 835 nuclear genes and chloroplast genomes from ~120 species using a family‐specific probe set and multiple herbarium samples per species. Our results confirm generic relationships within Orthosiinae with Monsanima (2 species) sister to Scyphostelma (>50 species), and Jobinia (25 species) +  Orthosia (55 species). Data were processed with the HybPhyloMaker pipeline, providing a reproducible framework for phylogenetic reconstructions using concatenation and coalescent‐based methods. The final dataset comprised 204 samples, 810 nuclear genes (1.2 Mb) and complete chloroplast genomes (0.16 Mb) after excluding samples with signals of admixture. Phylogenetic analysis identified several cryptic lineages with little morphological differentiation, highlighting the need for further systematic research in the Andes. Evolutionary placement of 107 additional samples confirmed Monsanima as sister to the rest of Orthosiinae. Divergence‐time estimates placed the crown age of Orthosiinae at ~13 Ma. Morphological analysis revealed high variability in leaf and floral traits traditionally used for taxon delimitation but also identified floral characters that are diagnostic for generic identification. Ancestral state reconstructions show no clear directional changes in leaf morphology, whereas several floral traits tend to evolve toward smaller sizes along the youngest branches of the phylogeny. Our integrated museomic approach contributes to a better understanding of evolutionary patterns and taxonomic relationships in this still understudied lineage of South American Apocynaceae.