Thirty novel fungal lineages: formal description based
on environmental samples and DNA

https://mycokeys.pensoft.net/article/161674/

#environmentalDNA #novelFungalLineages #darktaxa #uncultivableFungi #DNABasedTaxonDescriptions

Thirty novel fungal lineages: formal description based on environmental samples and DNA

Molecular analyses of soil and water commonly reveal large proportions of fungal taxa that cannot be assigned to any taxonomic or functional groups. Some of these so-called dark taxa have been encoded alphanumerically, while others have remained completely overlooked. Using long-read sequencing that covers much of the ribosomal RNA operon, we shed light on the phylogenetic and ecological distribution of fungal dark taxa and formally describe 30 of the most prominent phylum- to order-level lineages based on their characteristic DNA features. This increases the known large-scale fungal phylogenetic diversity by roughly one-third. Formal names will enhance taxonomic reproducibility, facilitate communication among researchers, and enable the estimation of conservation and quarantine needs for uncultivable species and higher-ranking taxa. The new species in the respective highest-level novel taxonomic groups include Pantelleria saittana (Pantelleriomycetes), Paraspizellomyces parrentiae (Paraspizellomycetales), Aquieurochytrium lacustre (Aquieurochytriomycetes), Edaphochytrium valuojaense (Edaphochytriomycetes), Tibetochytrium taylorii (Tibetochytriomycetes), Tropicochytrium toronegroense (Tropicochytriomycetes), Algovorax scenedesmi (comb. nov.) and Solivorax pantropicus (Algovoracomycetes), Aquamastix sanduskyensis (Aquamastigomycetes), Cantoromastix holarctica (Cantoromastigomycetes), Dobrisimastix vlkii (Dobrisimastigomycetes), Palomastix lacustris (Palomastigomycetes), Sedimentomastix tueriensis (Sedimentomastigomycetes), Terrincola waldropii (Terrincolales), Curlevskia holarctica (Curlevskiomycota), Mycosocceria estonica (Mycosocceriales), Maerjamyces jumpponenii (Maerjamycetes), Ruderalia cosmopolita (Ruderaliomycetes), Bryolpidium mundanum (Bryolpidiomycetes), Chthonolpidium enigmatum (Chthonolpidiomycetes), Savannolpidium raadiense (Savannolpidiomycetes), Gelotisporidium boreale (Gelotisporidiomycetes), Sumavosporidium sylvestre (Sumavosporidiomycetes), Parakickxella borikenica (Parakickxellomycetes), Aldinomyces tarquinii (Aldinomycota), Borikenia urbinae (Borikeniomycota), Mirabilomyces abrukanus (Mirabilomycota), Nematovomyces vermicola (comb. nov.) and N. soinasteënsis (Nematovomycota), Viljandia globalis (Viljandiomycota), Waitukubulimyces cliftonii (Waitukubulimycota), and Tartumyces setoi (Tartumyceta).

MycoKeys

Over 80% of forest fungi are unnamed and unprotected. The race is on to discover and save Earth’s underground biodiversity. #FungalCrisis #DarkTaxa #ClimateBiodiversity

https://geekoo.news/unseen-unnamed-at-risk-the-hidden-crisis-of-fungal-biodiversity/

Unseen, Unnamed, at Risk: The Hidden Crisis of Fungal Biodiversity | Geekoo

Over 80% of forest fungi remain unnamed, unprotected—and critical for climate. A global team maps where to find them before they're gone.

Geekoo
Preprint of a book chapter written by David Schindel and myself (mostly David) on the history of #dnabarcoding and challenges of data curation is available on @ZENODO_ORG https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8092340 Includes discussion of #darktaxa sensu https://iphylo.blogspot.com/2011/04/dark-taxa-genbank-in-post-taxonomic.html, that is, things we’ve sequenced but don't know whether they are new species or not because they don't have names.
Creating Virtuous Cycles for DNA Barcoding: A Case Study in Science Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Diplomacy

This essay on the history of the DNA barcoding enterprise attempts to set the stage for the more scholarly contributions that follow. How did the enterprise begin? What were its goals, how did it develop, and to what degree are its goals being realized? We have taken a keen interest in the barcoding movement and its relationship to taxonomy, collections and biodiversity informatics more broadly considered. This essay integrates our two different perspectives on barcoding. DES was the Executive Secretary of the Consortium for the Barcode of Life from 2004 to 2017, with the mission to support the success of DNA barcoding without being directly involved in generating barcode data. RDMP viewed barcoding as an important entry into the landscape of biodiversity data, with many potential linkages to other components of the landscape. We also saw it as a critical step toward the era of international genomic research that was sure to follow. Like the Mercury Program that paved the way for lunar landings by the Apollo Program, we saw DNA barcoding as the proving grounds for the interdisciplinary and international cooperation that would be needed for success of whole-genome research.

Zenodo