Eurytrema pancreaticum is one of the most common trematodes of cattle and sheep, and also infects humans occasionally, causing great economic losses and medical costs. In this study, the sequences of the complete nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeat units of five E. pancreaticum individuals were determined for the first time. They were 8306–8310 bp in length, including the small subunit (18S) rDNA, internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 5.8S rDNA, internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2), large subunit (28S) rDNA and intergenic spacer (IGS). There were no length variations in any of the investigated 18S (1996 bp), ITS1 (1103 bp), 5.8S (160 bp), ITS2 (231 bp) or 28S (3669 bp) rDNA sequences, whereas the IGS rDNA sequences of E. pancreaticum had a 4-bp length variation, ranging from 1147 to 1151 bp. The intraspecific variations within E. pancreaticum were 0–0.2% for 18S rDNA, 0–0.5% for ITS1, 0% for 5.8S rDNA and ITS2, 0–0.2% for 28S rDNA and 2.9–20.2% for IGS. There were nine types of repeat sequences in ITS1, two types in 28S rDNA, but none in IGS. A phylogenetic analysis based on the 18S rDNA sequences classified E. pancreaticum in the family Dicrocoeliidae of Plagiorchiata, closely related to the suborder Opisthorchiata. These results provide useful information for the further study of Dicrocoeliidae trematodes.

Mushroom soft corals in the subfamily Anthomastinae are among the most remarkable octocorals found in the deep sea, characterized by their capitate or mushroom‐shaped red colonies and large autozooids. To date, their species diversity remains largely unknown due to limited research, and their phylogenetic relationships have yet to be explored. Based on samples collected from four seamounts in the tropical Northwestern Pacific, we establish a new genus and six new species within Anthomastinae: Neoanthomastus stellatus gen. et sp. nov., Neoanthomastus elongatus gen. et sp. nov., Anthomastus sphaericus sp. nov., Anthomastus tongi sp. nov., Pseudoanthomastus ornatus sp. nov., and Pseudoanthomastus applanatus sp. nov. We transfer four species of Anthomastus with the siphonozooids extending into the stalk to the new genus Neoanthomastus , and four additional species of Anthomastus to Pseudoanthomastus . A dichotomous key to all five known genera and 43 species of Anthomastinae is provided. Meanwhile, we utilize the concatenated nucleotides of 13 mitochondrial protein‐coding genes (PCGs), the full‐length coding regions of the mitochondrial MutS gene ( mtMutS ) and the barcodes of partial mtMutS to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among all the five genera ( Anthomastus , Bathyalcyon , Heteropolypus , Pseudoanthomastus , and Neoanthomastus gen. nov.) and available species of Anthomastinae. The phylogenetic trees constructed from the three types of sequences suggest a hierarchical relationship where Neoanthomastus gen. nov. and Pseudoanthomastus form a clade that clusters with Bathyalcyon , which in turn with Heteropolypus , and finally with Anthomastus , all with high nodal supports. We also identify a second species in octocorals that lack the unique mtMutS . The study reveals a high diversity of mushroom soft corals and underscores the need for further systematic and zoogeographic research.

We investigated the effects of the predominant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the fermentation characteristics and aerobic stability of total mixed ration (TMR) silage containing soybean curd residue (SC-TMR silage). The SC-TMR materials were ensiled in laboratory silos for 14 or 56 days. LAB predominant in SC-TMR silage were identified (Exp. 1). Lactobacillus fermentum (L. fermentum) and Streptococcus bovis (S. bovis) were found in the untreated materials, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides (L. pseudomesenteroides) in 14-day silage and Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) in all silages. Pediococcus acidilactici (P. acidilactici), Lactobacillus paracasei (L. paracasei), and Lactobacillus brevis (L. brevis) formed more than 90% of the isolates in 56-day silage. Italian ryegrass and whole crop maize were inoculated with P. acidilactici and L. brevis isolates and the fermentation and aerobic stability determined (Exp. 2). Inoculation with P. acidilactici and L. brevis alone or combined improved the fermentation products in ryegrass silage and markedly enhanced its aerobic stability. In maize silage, P. acidilactici and L. brevis inoculation caused no changes and suppressed deterioration when combined with increases in acetic acid content. The results indicate that P. acidilactici and L. brevis may produce a synergistic effect to inhibit SC-TMR silage deterioration. Further studies are needed to identify the inhibitory substances, which may be useful for developing potential antifungal agents.

Paracondylactis sinensis Carlgren, 1934 (Actiniidae, Actiniaria) is an edible sea anemone in China. Their wild population has intensively decreased in recent years due to overharvesting. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of this economic species collected in the coast of Zhejiang, China is sequenced and obtained using high throughput methods. The total length of this circular molecule is 20,786 bp. Thirteen protein coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, two transfer RNA (tRNA^Trp, tRNA^Met) genes and a putative ORF are annotated in it. Phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acids of mitochondrial genomes indicates that this species belongs to the family of Actiniidae. This result is consistent with the previous work that identified the edible sea anemone as Paracondylactis sinensis although it has always been recognized as Calliactis sinensis (of family Hormathiidae) in most Chinese reports. Overall, the mitochondrial genome produced in this study assists in clarifying the phylogenetic status of this sea anemone and provides a molecular foundation for future protection and breeding work.

The utility of the mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) in analyzing the evolutionary history of animals has been proven. Five deep-sea corals (Bathypathes sp.1, Bathypathes sp.2, Schizopathidae 1, Trissopathes sp., and Leiopathes sp.) were collected in the South China Sea (SCS). Initially, the structures and collinearity of the five deep-sea coral mitogenomes were analyzed. The gene arrangements in the five deep-sea coral mitogenomes were similar to those in the order Antipatharia, which evidenced their conservation throughout evolutionary history. Additionally, to elucidate the slow evolutionary rates in Hexacorallia mitogenomes, we conducted comprehensive analyses, including examining phylogenetic relationships, performing average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis, and assessing GC-skew dissimilarity combining five deep-sea coral mitogenomes and 522 reference Hexacorallia mitogenomes. Phylogenetic analysis using 13 conserved proteins revealed that species clustered together at the order level, and they exhibited interspersed distributions at the family level. The ANI results revealed that species had significant similarities (identity > 85%) within the same order, while species from different orders showed notable differences (identity < 80%). The investigation of the Hexacorallia mitogenomes also highlighted that the GC-skew dissimilarity was highly significant at the order level, but not as pronounced at the family level. These results might be attributed to the slow evolution rate of Hexacorallia mitogenomes and provide evidence of mitogenomic diversity. Furthermore, divergence time analysis revealed older divergence times assessed via mitogenomes compared with nuclear data, shedding light on significant evolutionary events shaping distinct orders within Hexacorallia corals. Those findings provide new insights into understanding the slow evolutionary rates of deep-sea corals in all lineages of Hexacorallia using their mitogenomes.

Paracondylactis sinensis Carlgren, 1934 is a sea anemone with economic value in China. The wild population of P. sinensis has been shrinking due to overfishing and environmental pollution, which have caused price instability. In winter, the price of P. sinensis can reach 25 USD per kilogram. Up to now, there are no genetic markers developed for P. sinensis, preventing a further exploration of their population genetic diversity. In this study, the full-length transcriptome of P. sinensis was sequenced and microsatellite DNA markers (simple sequence repeats [SSRs]) were developed from those transcripts. A total of 52 primer pairs, which can amplify specific polymorphic bands in PCR experiments, were designed for the SSR markers. Genetic diversity and population genetics were analysed for P. sinensis populations collected from the coasts of Taizhou and Rizhao using six microsatellite DNA loci. While inbreeding was detected in both populations (F_is > 0), the overall number of alleles (Na = 11.3) and bottleneck analysis suggested that the genetic diversity of P. sinensis has not been greatly impacted. Clustering analyses using STRUCTURE, principal coordinate analysis and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean tree revealed that the Taizhou population diverged from the Rizhao population; however, the genetic differentiation between the populations was moderate. Human-mediated commercial activities may be the principal reasons for the gene flow between the populations. Our study provides the first evaluation of the genetic resources of wild P. sinensis populations in China, which can serve as a useful reference for future comparative studies on population genetics and may guide policy-makers in initiating strategies for germplasm conservation and artificial breeding.