DNA sequencing reveals three new species of Chamberlainium (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from South Africa, all formerly passing under Spongites yendoi

Abstract

Three new non-geniculate coralline algal species from South Africa are described that were passing under the misapplied name, Spongites yendoi. Based on plastid encoded DNA sequences from psbA and rbcL markers, these species belong in the subfamily Chamberlainoideae. The DNA sequences, supported by the morpho-anatomical character of tetrasporangial conceptacle roof development, placed all three species in the genus Chamberlainium and not Pneophyllum, the only other genus in Chamberlainoideae. In addition to the diagnostic DNA sequences, Chamberlainium capense sp. nov., C. glebosum sp. nov. and Chamberlainium occidentale sp. nov. may be distinguished by a combination of habit, habitat, geographic distribution, and several morpho-anatomical features. Biogeographically all three species are found in the Benguela Marine Province of South Africa, with C. occidentale being the most widespread. Chamberlainium glebosum also has a wide, but disjunct distribution and C. capense is another South African endemic non-geniculate coralline, whose range is restricted to a 43 km stretch of coastline. Thus far, DNA sequences from type specimens of non-geniculate corallines show that only those species whose type localities are from South Africa are correctly applied; all other non-geniculate coralline names are likely misapplied in South Africa.

Resolving some of the earliest names for Corallina species (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) in the North Pacific by sequencing type specimens and describing the cryptic C. hakodatensis sp. nov. and C. parva sp. nov.

“…Phylogeny and molecular identification of Corallina species. The paucity of informative morphological characteristics emphasizes the importance of molecular markers for species identification for all coralline algae (Hind et al 2014, Richards et al 2017, Pezzolesi et al 2019, Twist et al 2020, Calderon et al 2021, Puckree-Padua et al 2021. However, the phylogenetic signal documented here is somewhat opaque for Corallina.…”

“…2021, Puckree‐Padua et al. 2021). However, the phylogenetic signal documented here is somewhat opaque for Corallina .…”

A taxonomically informed DNA reference library to facilitate future biodiversity assessments and monitoring: a case study using seaweeds along a tropical-temperate transition zone in South Africa

“…Similar surveys have revealed cryptic alien species that would have otherwise gone undetected (Manghisi et al . 2019) and have also challenged the notion of wide distributions of certain species (Puckree-Padua et al . 2021).…”

Phymatolithopsis gen. nov. (Hapalidiales, Corallinophycidae, Rhodophyta) based on molecular and morpho‐anatomical evidence

“…A number of new and recircumscribed taxa at the lower ranks of family and subfamily are based only on DNA sequences and there are no diagnostic morpho-anatomical characters clearly identifiable to define these taxa (Puckree-Padua et al 2020a). Some genera that are monophyletic based on phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences have diagnostic morpho-anatomical characters, such as Clathromorphum (Adey et al 2015) and Porolithon (Kato et al 2011), whereas others do not, for example, Crusticorallina and Neogoniolithon (Hind et al 2015) and Chamberlainium and Pneophyllum (Puckree- Padua et al 2020b).…”

“…; Gabrielson et al 2018 for Porolithon spp. ; Puckree-Padua et al 2020b,2020c for Chamberlainium spp). This has made the application of historical names difficult to apply correctly due to the lack of distinguishing morpho-anatomical characters for many species.…”