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Type: Article
Published: 2016-11-07
Page range: 259–270
Abstract views: 21
PDF downloaded: 1

Chondrophycus anabeliae (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales), a new species in the Laurencia complex from the Mexican Caribbean

Departamento de Hidrobiología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Apdo. Postal 55-535, México D.F, 09340, México
Departamento de Botânica, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão 277, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil
Departamento de Hidrobiología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Apdo. Postal 55-535, México D.F, 09340, México
Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071, La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, 05508-000 São Paulo, Brazil
Núcleo de Pesquisa em Ficologia, Instituto de Botânica, Av. Miguel Estéfano, 3687 - 04301-902 São Paulo, Brazil
Chondrophycus Mexican Caribbean molecular phylogeny morphology rbcL Rhodophyta taxonomy Algae

Abstract

An ongoing phycological survey of the Laurencia complex in the Mexican Caribbean revealed an undescribed species belonging to Chondrophycus. The new species exhibits vegetative and reproductive structures typical of the genus, except for the presence of a slightly compressed thallus, a translucent outermost cortical cell layer with conspicuous cell wall projections, and tetrasporangia produced from a particular cell with the formation of one additional fertile periaxial cell. The phylogenetic position of this taxon was inferred based on chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene sequence analyses from 54 taxa and using three Rhodomelaceaen taxa as outgroups. The Mexican Caribbean species formed a monophyletic and fully supported clade within the Chondrophycus assemblage, but diverged at 5.8% from the most closely related taxon in the clade, whereas it diverged at 7.5% from the morphologically more closely related species C. dotyi from Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands, indicating that the Mexican Caribbean species is morphologically and genetically distinct from other Chondrophycus species, and supporting its treatment as a new species.