Ottelia fengshanensis, a new bisexual species of Ottelia (Hydrocharitaceae) from southwestern China

Abstract

Ottelia fengshanensis, a new species (Hydrocharitaceae) from southwest China is here described and illustrated. Comparing its morphological features to putative close relatives O. guanyangensis, it has 3–4 flowers (vs. 2–5) each spathe, hexagonal-cylindric fruit, white styles (vs. yellow), green leaves (vs. dark green) and fruit tiny winged (vs. winged obviously). Molecular phylogenetic investigation of four DNA sequences (ITS, rbcL, trnK5’ intron and trnS-trnG) and the Poisson Tree Processes model for species delimitation (PTP) analysis, further resolves O. fengshanensis as a new species that is close to O. guanyangensis with distinct support.

Comparative and Phylogenetic Analyses of the Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Four Ottelia Species

“…Southern and Southwestern China are crucial regions for the genus, as they host nearly all Asian Ottelia species, with the exception of the Indonesian endemic O. mesenterium and a possible cryptic species located in Thailand [2], contributing to the foundational understanding of the genus in this region [1,3]. In China, the record of Ottelia includes seven species and five varieties [4]. Apart from the widely distributed O. alismoides, the other Chinese taxa have restricted ranges, mainly confined to karst rivers or lakes in the South and Southwest of China [5].…”

“…Compared to Sanger sequencing, next-generation sequencing methods offer significant promise in this field because they provide ample data for statistically rigorous comparisons across cp genomes [19]. The benefits of the cp genome, such as its structural conservation, low molecular weight, simplicity, genetic stability, and moderate evolution rate, have contributed to improving our understanding of the evolutionary relationships within Ottelia [4,20,21]. Li et al (2018) [22] conducted a phylogenetic reconstruction of Ottelia in China, using one nuclear and three cp regions, and they described O. guanyangensis as a new species; meanwhile, they proposed the elevation of O. acuminata var.…”