• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.spc2
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• pp.15-22
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• 2023

During a comprehensive investigation of indigenous prokaryotic species in Korea, 20 and one bacterial strains assigned to the phyla Bacillota and Verrucomicrobiota, respectively, were isolated from diverse environmental habitats, including soil, mud, tidal flat, seawater, sand, sediment, brackish water, and healthy human urine. Based on their high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities (>98.7%) and the formation of robust phylogenetic clades with their closest related reported species, each strain was assigned to an independent and predefined bacterial species. Since there were no published or official reports regarding these 21 isolates in Korea, they - 20 species of four families in two orders of the phylum Bacillota and one species of the phylum Verrucomicrobiota - have been reported as unrecorded species in Korea. In addition, Gram staining, colony and cell morphology, basic biochemical characteristic, isolation source, and strain ID of each species are also described in the species description sections.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.spc2
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• pp.23-32
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• 2023

During screening for indigenous prokaryotic species in Republic of Korea in 2021, a total of 21 bacterial strains assigned to the phylum Bacteroidota were isolated from a variety of environmental habitats including pine cone, seaweed, soil, sea sediment, brackish water and moss. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity value of more than 98.7% and formation of a robust phylogenetic clade with the type strain of the closest bacterial species, it was found that the 21 strains belong to independent and recognized bacterial species. There has been no official report that the identified 21 species have been isolated in Republic of Korea up to date. Therefore, 16 species in six genera of two families in the order Flavobacteriales, two species in two genera of two families in the order Cytophagales, one species in one genus of one family in the order Chitinophagales and two species in one genus of one family in the order Sphingobacteriales are proposed as unrecorded species of the phylum Bacteroidota isolated in Republic of Korea. Their Gram reaction, colony and cell morphology, basic phenotypic characteristics, isolation source, taxonomic status, strain ID and other information are described in the species descriptions.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.spc2
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• pp.33-44
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• 2023

In 2021, a total of 27 bacterial strains were isolated from soil, tree bark, moss, wetland, sea sediment, tidal flat, seawater and seaweed within Republic of Korea. Based on the analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence (>98.7% sequence similarity), these isolates were assigned to the class Alphaproteobacteria as unrecorded species in Korea. The 27 strains were classified into the 10 families: Maricaulaceae of the order Caulobacterales; Brucellaceae, Methylobacteriaceae, Nitrobacteraceae and Rhizobiaceae of the order Hyphomicrobiales; Micropepsaceae of the order Micropepsales; Rhodobacteraceae of the order Rhodobacterales; Azospirillaceae of the order Rhodospirillales; and Erythrobacteraceae and Sphingomonadales of the order Sphingomonadaceae. There is no official report of these 27 species in Korea. Therefore, we report 27 isolates as unrecorded species, and described isolation sources, Gram-stain reactions, physiological and biochemical properties and morphologies of these strains.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2023

A northern lineage plant, Stellaria filicaulis (Caryophyllaceae), was newly found in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do of South Korea. This species is distributed in China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Russia. On the Korean Peninsula, St. filicaulis, however, has been known to grow in North Korea. Species identification was confirmed using morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data, while comparing with materials obtained from herbarium specimens. Stellaria filicaulis is distinguished from St. longifolia by having smooth surface of stem, petals about twice longer than sepals. On the neighbor-joining tree, St. filicaulis formed a clade, and the species is closely related to St. longifolia of the Parviflorae clade. Details of the morphological characters, the type specimens, voucher specimens data, and photographs of St. filicaulis in South Korea are presented. In addition, it is likely that a new habitat will be found by plant biodiversity field surveys through the middle part of the Korean Peninsula. Further research is needed to determine its population size, distribution, and threats, as well as identify appropriate locations for conservation collection of germplasm.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.267-276
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• 2023

To obtain unrecorded bacterial species in Korea, various soils of coastal areas were collected from the Republic of Korea in 2022. After plating the samples on marine agar and incubating aerobically and anaerobically, approximately 1,700 bacterial strains were isolated and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequences. A total of 20 strains showed ≥98.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with validly published bacterial species but not reported in Korea, indicating they are unrecorded bacterial species in Korea. The unrecorded bacterial strains belonged to four phyla, six classes, 15 orders, 16 families, and 19 genera which were assigned to Blastomonas and Sphingomonas of the class Alphaproteobacteria; Pseudidiomarina, Kushneria, Salinicola, and Salinisphaera of the class Gammaproteobacteria; Evansella, Virgibacillus, and Paenibacillus of the class Bacilli; Cyclobacterium of the class Cytophagia; Pedobacter of the class Sphingobacteriia; and Demequina, Ornithinimicrobium, Blastococcus, Jatrophihabitans, Kineococcus, Glaciihabitans, Aeromicrobium and Streptomyces of the class Actinomycetes. The details of the 20 unreported species, including Gram reaction, morphology, biochemical characteristics, and phylogenetic position are also provided in the description of the strains.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2024

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.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.10-31
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• 2024

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.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.67-88
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• 2024

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.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.89-99
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• 2024

Larger benthic foraminifera (LBF) are a group of marine organisms that inhabit oligotrophic subtropicaltropical 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.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.111-126
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• 2024

Korean bamboo forests encompass 22,067 hectares and are dominated by Phyllostachys species. These forests serve as vital ecosystems, providing nourishment and habitat for diverse flora, fauna, and microorganisms. Among these inhabitants, various fungal species have been documented worldwide, displaying ecological roles as saprobes, parasites, and symbionts within or outside the bamboo host. However, a comprehensive study of bambusicolous fungi within the Korean bamboo ecosystem remains a critical gap in our knowledge. In this study, we conducted an extensive survey of bamboo materials collected from various bamboo forests and subsequently undertook fungal isolation. Primary identification of bambusicolous fungi was achieved through analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. As a result, we identified seven previously unrecorded bambusicolous fungal species (Fusarium bambusarum, Fusicolla violacea, Macroconia gigas, Neopestalotiopsis camelliae-oleiferae, Neopestalotiopsis iberica, Neopestalotiopsis longiappendiculata, and Thyridium punctulatum). Phylogenetic analysis using protein-coding genes appropriate for each taxon and morphological observation were conducted to ensure accurate identification. This study contributes to our understanding of fungal diversity within bamboo forests in Korea.