A New Species of the Genus Gekko (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from the Dabie Mountains, China.

This study describes a novel species of Gekko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) based on its distinct morphological features and molecular evidence, which was identified in the Dabie Mountains on the border of Anhui and Henan provinces of Central China. Gekko kaiyaisp. nov. could be distinguished from its congeners owing to its morphological characteristics, such as being a medium body sized gecko species (snout-vent length, 56.98-64.99 mm, n = 4, females; 50.03-61.56 mm, n = 11, males); nostrils scale in contact with rostral scale; tubercles on the dorsal and limb, while the upper forelimb is smooth with no tubercles; 22-33 interorbital scales between the anterior corners of the eyes; 157-209 ventral scales between mental and cloacal slit; 90-121 midbody scale rows; 30-43 ventral scale rows; 7-9 sub-digital lamellae on first fingers, 8-13 fourth fingers, 7-9 first toes, and 7-11 fourth toes; free of webbing in the fingers and toes; 9-12 pre-cloacal pores in males, which are absent in females; post-cloacal unilateral tubercles 1 (few 2); and a dorsum that is greyish white to dark brown, with 6-7 brown markings between the nape and sacrum. The phylogenetic tree based on the mitochondrial DNA sequences (16S, CYTB, and COI) indicated that Gekko kaiyaisp. nov. form an independent clade with strong support (100/1) and are a sister group to G. hokouensis. At the inter-species level, the genetic distances were all large, further confirming that an independent species had been identified. The discovery of this species implies that there are now 87 identified species in the genus Gekko, 22 of which can be found within China.

Comparative phylogeography reveals dissimilar genetic differentiation patterns in two sympatric amphibian species.

Global climate change is expected to have a profound effect on species distribution. Due to the temperature constraints, some narrow niche species could shift their narrow range to higher altitudes or latitudes. In this study, we explored the correlation between species traits, genetic structure, and geographical range size. More specifically, we analyzed how these variables are affected by differences in fundamental niche breadth or dispersal ability in the members of two sympatrically distributed stream-dwelling amphibian species (frog, Quasipaa yei; salamander, Pachyhynobius shangchengensis), in Dabie Mountains, East China. Both species showed relatively high genetic diversity in most geographical populations and similar genetic diversity patterns (JTX, low; BYM, high) correlation with habitat changes and population demography. Multiple clustering analyses were used to disclose differentiation among the geographical populations of these two amphibian species. Q. yei disclosed the relatively shallow genetic differentiation, while P. shangchengensis showed an opposite pattern. Under different historical climatic conditions, all ecological niche modeling disclosed a larger suitable habitat area for Q. yei than for P. shangchengensis; these results indicated a wider environment tolerance or wider niche width of Q. yei than P. shangchengensis. Our findings suggest that the synergistic effects of environmental niche variation and dispersal ability may help shape genetic structure across geographical topology, particularly for species with extremely narrow distribution.

A New Species of the Genus Achalinus (Squamata: Xenodermidae) from the Dabie Mountains, Anhui, China.

A new species of Xenodermid snake, Achalinus dabieshanensissp. nov., was described based on three specimens (two female and one male) collected from the Dabie Mountains of western Anhui Province. It can be distinguished from known congeners by a significant genetic divergence in the mitochondrial gene fragment COI (p-distance ≥ 9.4%) and the following combination of characteristics: (1) length of the suture between the internasals being distinctly shorter than between the prefrontals; (2) a single loreal; (3) dorsal scales strongly keeled, in 23 rows throughout the body; (4) two pairs of prefrontals; (5) six supralabials; (6) five infralabials; (7) temporals 2 + 2 + 3 (or 2 + 2 + 4); (8) 141-155 ventrals; (9) 45-55 subcaudals, unpaired; (10) anal entire; (11) weakly iridescent tinged, uniform, brown to black dorsum with vertebral scales and about three adjacent dorsal scales dark brown forming a longitudinal vertebral line from posterior margin of parietals to tail tip; (12) light brown venter, ventral shields wide, visible on both sides, light brown flanks, giving the appearance of a black subcaudal streak. The recognition of the new species increases the number of described Achalinus species to 22.

A New Species of the Genus Microhyla (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae) from the Dabie Mountains, China.

Species belonging to the genus Microhyla are small-sized frogs that are widely distributed in southern, eastern, and south-eastern Asia. In China, the genus harbors many cryptic species, on two of which-M. beilunensis and M. fanjinshanensis-studies were recently published. In this study, we collected specimens from the Dabie Mountain range, which is at the junction of Anhui, Henan and Hubei Provinces, East China; these specimens belonged to a species previously identified as M. mixtura. Based on phylogenetic analyses, species delimitation analyses, morphological comparisons and advertisement calls comparisons, we found they were significantly different from other known congeners, and thus we describe them as a new species. This study enriches the diversity of Microhylidae, and clarifies the species of the genus Microhyla in the Dabie Mountains.

Serratia oryzae sp. nov., isolated from rice stems.

A novel endophytic bacterium, strain J11-6T, was isolated from rice stems. Its taxonomic position was investigated using a polyphasic approach. The novel strain was Gram-staining-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile and rod-shaped. Although the results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that J11-6T represented a member of the genus Rahnella, multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) on the basis of concatenated partial atpD, gyrB, rpoB and infB gene sequences showed a clear distinction of J11-6T from the type strains of species of the genus Rahnella but indicated that it lay within the clade of the genus Serratia. The phylogenetically closest species were Serratia fonticola and Serratia aquatilis on the basis of the results of the MLSA phylogenetic analysis. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C16 : 1ω7c (38.7 %) and C16 : 0 (25.0 %). The DNA G+C content was 53.2 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness was 17.4 % between J11-6T and Rahnella aquatilis CIP 78.65T, and 29.2 % between J11-6T and S. fonticola LMG 7882T which indicates that this strain represents a novel species of the genus Serratia. Characterization by genotypic and phenotypic analysis indicated that J11-6T (=ACCC 19934T=KCTC 52529T) represents a novel species of the genus Serratia, for which the name Serratia oryzae sp. nov. is proposed.

Rhizobium rhizosphaerae sp. nov., a novel species isolated from rice rhizosphere.

Two novel, Gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped, aerobic bacterial strains, MH17T and RD15, were isolated from the sterilized root and rhizosphere soil of rice, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the similarity between strains MH17T and RD15 was 100%. The isolates exhibit high sequence similarities to Rhizobium oryzae CGMCC 1.7048T (98.7%) and Rhizobium petrolearium SL-1T (97.0% and 97.1%), which supports that they belong to a novel species in the genus Rhizobium. Strains MH17T and RD15 exhibited growth at 15-45 °C, pH 5.0-11.0, 0-2.0% sodium chloride (w/v). Sequence analysis of housekeeping genes gyrB, recA, atpD, ropB, gltA showed that these two novel strains had less than 94% similarity with the known species, indicating the distinct position of MH17T and RD15 in the genus Rhizobium. The major cellular fatty acids were identified as summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c and/or C18:1 ω6c). Type strain MH17T had 87.5% DNA-DNA relatedness with RD15 by using the initial renaturation rate method. Based on draft genome sequences, strain MH17T showed 30.1% DNA-DNA hybridization values to R. oryzae CGMCC 1.7048T, the closely related strain, which supported that MH17T represents a novel species in the genus Rhizobium. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) between strains MH17T and RD15 were 97.8%, and strain MH17T showed 82.2% ANI value with R. oryzae CGMCC 1.7048T. The DNA G+C content was 60.4 mol% (Tm). Based on physiological, biochemical characteristic, genotypic data, strains MH17T and RD15 are concluded to represent a new species within the genus Rhizobium, for which the name Rhizobium rhizosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MH17T (=ACCC 19963T = KCTC 52414T).

Effective Removal of Chromium(III) from Low Concentration Aqueous Solution Using a Novel Diazene/Methoxy-Laced Coordination Polymer.

In this study, a novel coordination polymer [CdL2(H2O)0.5]n (1), [HL = 4-(2-(4-((pyridin-3-yl)methoxy)phenyl)diazenyl)benzoic acid] was fabricated via an in situ ligand transformation reaction under solvothermal conditions. The as-prepared polymer exhibited a selectivity and efficiency for Cr(III) removal with a high uptake capacity of 106.13 mg·g-1. Interestingly, even in the low concentration (0.02⁻0.20 ppm), it still performs a relatively high efficiency (≥ 92.5%) towards the removal of Cr(III) in aqueous solution. Remarkably, it also presents good selectivity and high efficiency (93.3%) for Cr(III) removal in the presences of interfering metal ions. The good removal performance for Cr(III) was demonstrated to be a structure-dependent chemical process between polymer and Cr(III) involving the diazene and methoxy groups in polymer 1, which happened not only on the surfaces of the adsorbent but also in the pores of polymer, giving rise to a strong affinity toward Cr(III) adsorption. The possible adsorption mechanism of Cr(III) was proposed and systematically verified by FT-IR, scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) measurements.

Rhizobium oryziradicis sp. nov., isolated from rice roots.

Two Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped endophytic bacterial strains, N19T and N11-2, were isolated from fresh rice (Oryza sativa) roots during investigation of the rice endophytic bacterial diversity. The 16S rRNA gene sequence results indicated that the similarity between strains N19T and N11-2 was 100 %. Both of them belong to the genus Rhizobium, with close similarity to Rhizobium taibaishanense CCNWSX 0483T (97.7 %), followed by Rhizobium vitis NCPPB 3554T (97.5 %). The sequence similarities of the housekeeping genes recA, gyrB and glnA between the novel isolates and members of the established species of the genus Rhizobium were less than 87 %. The DNA-DNA hybridization rates between strains N19T and N11-2 were 87.9 % using the initial renaturation rate method. Based on draft genome sequences, strain N19T showed 18.2 % and 19.6 % DNA-DNA hybridization values to R. taibaishanense CCNWSX 0483T and R. vitis S4, which demonstrated that these new isolates represent a novel species in the genus Rhizobium. The main cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c). The DNA G+C content of strain N19T was 58.7 mol% (Tm). The polar lipid profile of N19T consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, an unknown lipid, two unknown aminolipids and an unidentified aminophospholipid. According to physiological and biochemical characteristics and genotypic data, strains N19T and N11-2 are considered to represent a novel species of the genus Rhizobium, for which the name Rhizobium oryziradicis sp. nov. is proposed, with N19T (=ACCC 19962T=KCTC 52413T) as the type strain.

Paenibacillus oryzisoli sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere of rice.

A novel bacterium, strain 1ZS3-15T, was isolated from rhizosphere of rice. Its taxonomic position was investigated using a polyphasic approach. The novel strain was observed to be Gram-stain positive, spore-forming, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain 1ZS3-15T was recovered within the genus Paenibacillus. It is closely related to Paenibacillus pectinilyticus KCTC 13222T (97.9 % similarity), Paenibacillus frigoriresistens CCTCC AB 2011150T (96.8 %), Paenibacillus alginolyticus JCM 9068T (96.4 %) and Paenibacillus chondroitinus DSM 5051T (95.5 %). The fatty acid profile of strain 1ZS3-15T, which showed a predominance of anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0, supported the allocation of the strain into the genus Paenibacillus. The predominant menaquinone was found to be MK-7. The polar lipids profile of strain 1ZS3-15T was found to consist of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified lipid and two unidentified aminophospholipids. The cell wall peptidoglycan contains meso-diaminopimelic acid. Based on draft genome sequences, the DNA-DNA relatedness between strain 1ZS3-15T and the closely related species P. pectinilyticus KCTC 13222T are 24.2 ± 1.0 %, and the Average Nucleotide Identity values between the strains are 78.9 ± 0.1 %, which demonstrated that this isolate represents a new species in the genus Paenibacillus. The DNA G+C content was determined to be 45.3 mol%, which is within the range reported for Paenibacillus species. Characterisation by genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analysis indicated that strain 1ZS3-15T represents a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus oryzisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 1ZS3-15T (= ACCC 19783T = JCM 30487T).

Paenibacillusoryzae sp. nov., isolated from rice roots.

A novel endophytic bacterium, strain 1DrF-4T, isolated from rice roots, was characterized on the basis of its phenotypic characteristics and genotypic information. The novel strain was Gram-positive-staining, endospore-forming, facultatively anaerobic, motile and rod-shaped. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain 1DrF-4T formed a monophyletic clade within the genus Paenibacillus. The most phylogenetically related species was Paenibacillus pinesoli KACC 17472T, with which strain 1DrF-4T showed 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 95.2 %. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with type strains of other species of the genus Paenibacillus were less than 95 %. The predominant cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 (61.1 %) and C16 : 0 (11.1 %), which is one of the characteristic traits of the genus Paenibacillus. The quinone system contained exclusively menaquinone MK-7. The polar lipid profile contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, glycolipid and an unknown phospholipid. The DNA G+C content was 50.16 mol%, which was within the range reported for species of the genus Paenibacillus. Characterization by genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analysis indicated that strain 1DrF-4T (=ACCC 19927T=JCM 30486T) represents a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillusoryzae sp. nov. is proposed.

Bacillus oryzisoli sp. nov., isolated from rice rhizosphere.

The taxonomy of strain 1DS3-10T, a Gram-staining-positive, endospore-forming bacterium isolated from rice rhizosphere, was investigated using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences demonstrated that the novel strain was grouped with established members of the genus Bacillus and appeared to be closely related to the type strains Bacillus benzoevorans DSM 5391T (97.9 %), Bacillus circulans DSM 11T (97.7 %), Bacillus novalis JCM 21709T (97.3 %), Bacillus soli JCM 21710T (97.3 %), Bacillus oceanisediminis CGMCC 1.10115T (97.3 %) and BacillusnealsoniiFO-92T (97.1 %). The fatty acid profile of strain 1DS3-10T, which showed a predominance of iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0, supported the allocation of the strain to the genus Bacillus. The predominant menaquinone was MK-7 (100 %). The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and unknown aminolipids. Cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain 1DS3-10T and the type strains of closely related species were 25-33 %, which supported that 1DS3-10T represented a novel species in the genus Bacillus. The results of some physiological and biochemical tests also allowed the phenotypic differentiation of strain 1DS3-10T from the most closely related recognized species. On the basis of the phylogenetic and phenotypic evidence, strain 1DS3-10T represents a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus oryzisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the novel species is 1DS3-10T (=ACCC 19781T=DSM 29761T).

Novosphingobium oryzae sp. nov., a potential plant-promoting endophytic bacterium isolated from rice roots.

A novel endophytic bacterium, strain ZYY112T, isolated from rice roots, was characterized by a polyphasic approach. In phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, ZYY112T showed highest sequence similarity to Novosphingobium sediminicola HU1-AH51T (97.2 %) and less than 97 % similarity with respect to other Novosphingobium species with validly published names. The DNA G+C content of strain ZYY112T was 60.8 mol%. The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain ZYY112T and N. sediminicola DSM 27057T was 33.7 % (reciprocal 5.2 %), which supported the suggestion that ZYY112T represented a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium. Ubiquinone Q-10 was the unique respiratory quinone (100 %). The polar lipid profile contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, sphingoglycolipid, an unknown aminolipid and an unknown phospholipid. The major fatty acids of strain ZYY112T were summed feature 8 (consisting of C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (consisting of C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C14 : 0 2-OH and C16 : 0. The major polyamine of ZYY112T was spermidine, which is a characteristic trait of the genus Novosphingobium. Characterization by genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analysis indicated that strain ZYY112T represents a novel species of the genus Novosphingobium, for which the name Novosphingobium oryzae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZYY112T ( = ACCC 06131T = JCM 30537T).