Description of ten new Lobophora species from the Bismarck Sea (Papua New Guinea)

Sampling in the framework of the research program called ‘La Planète Revisitée’ in Kavieng and Madang (Papua New Guinea) brought thus far unknown diversity of the brown algal genus Lobophora to the surface. DNA‐assisted alpha taxonomy allowed identifying the presence of 16 species Lobophora from these two localities, which only share four species in common. Ten species are newly described, including four, which are only known to the Bismarck Sea. A more exhaustive sampling across the Bismarck Sea, and more largely across the Coral Triangle, will very likely unveil an even greater diversity. The present study underscores the fragmentary nature of our knowledge of macroalgal diversity in this region.     

Phylogeography of Padina boryana (Dictyotales,Phaeophyceae) around the Thai-Malay Peninsula

The Indo-Pacific Ocean is a biodiversity hotspot for marine organisms. In this area, most of the research has focused on marine animals, such as reef fish, molluscs and other associated coral fauna, but very little has been done on macroalgae. The Thai-Malay Peninsula is an important north–south barrier in this area, which faces two different oceans – the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. This study aims to investigate genetic distribution patterns of Padina boryana Thivy around the Thai-Malay Peninsula, where it is common. Three DNA marker regions, the mitochondrion-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 gene (cox3); the plastid rbcL, and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) were used to evaluate genetic diversity and the relationships within and between populations. Samples were collected from both the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand sides of the peninsula. Parsimony networks and maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses showed clearly that there are two separated P. boryana lineages, one restricted to the Gulf of Thailand and the other to the Andaman Sea and other areas of the Indo-Pacific. The effect of different ocean currents along the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand may have shaped these populations of P. boryana. This phylogeographic separation, based on persistent currents in the area, may affect other marine organisms along the Thai peninsula.     

Lobophora (Dictyotales) Species Richness,Ecology and Biogeography Across the North-Eastern Atlantic Archipelagos and Description of Two New Species1

The brown alga Lobophora (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) is an important macroalga in the North-eastern Atlantic archipelagos (i.e., Macaronesia). Notably in the Canaries it can dominate benthic assemblages. While the genus has been the subject of several ecological studies in the Canaries, no study has yet been conducted to assess species-level diversity of Lobophora in Macaronesia. We reassessed the diversity of Lobophora in Macaronesia, reporting the presence of seven species (L. caboverdeana sp. nov., L. canariensis, L. dagamae sp. nov., L. delicata, L. dispersa, L. littlerorum, and L. schneideri). Lobophora spp. from Macaronesia are morphologically and ecologically distinguishable. In the Canaries, L. schneideri dominates the photophilic assemblages from the intertidal to 20-30 m depth. Lobophora dagamae sp. nov. grows in less illuminated shallow habitats, and replaces L. schneideri from 30 to ~80 m. Lobophora canariensis also has a wide vertical distribution, from the intertidal to deep waters, while L. delicata, L. dispersa and L. littlerorum grow in shallow waters. The dominance of species with an upright habit versus prostrate or crustose species may be mediated by the pressure of herbivores. Four species have an amphi-Atlantic distribution: L. littlerorum, L. canariensis, L. delicata, and L. schneideri. Lobophora schneideri and L. delicata are furthermore distributed in the Mediterranean Sea. By sampling a pivotal region in the Atlantic, this study significantly improves our knowledge of Lobophora biogeography in the Atlantic Ocean. Macaronesia constitutes a species–poor region for Lobophora where no diversification events occurred, and a region of overlap between the Greater Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific.     

A barcode analysis of the genus Lobophora (Dictyotales,Phaeophyceae) in the western Atlantic Ocean with four novel species and the epitypification of L. variegata (J.V. Lamouroux) E.C. Oliveira

In the western Atlantic Ocean, the brown algal genus Lobophora is currently represented by a single species, L. variegata, with a type locality designated by Lamouroux as ‘Antilles’. In this study, we used molecular-assisted alpha taxonomy (MAAT) to assess species diversity of Lobophora in Bermuda, the Florida Keys, St. Croix and Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles). Using cox1 and cox3 sequences as barcode markers, five species of Lobophora, four of them novel, were delineated, all previously having been identified in the area as L. variegata. Our morphological and habitat studies, made possible by abundant sampling, have revealed unique characters for each of these western Atlantic species, including distinct cellular arrangements, as well as different depth ranges for certain species. Observations made from Lamouroux’s holotype of Dictyota variegata (= Lobophora variegata) allowed us to assess the anatomy of this species, which enabled us to easily align this early taxon to one of our genetic species from the western Atlantic. As the type was unavailable for genetic analysis, we selected a recent St. Croix (Virgin Is., Antilles) specimen as the epitype to support it with molecular sequence data.     

French Polynesian Scytosiphonaceae (Ectocarpales,Phaeophyceae): A combined molecular and morphological approach to their diversity and systematics

This study revisited the taxonomy and diversity of brown macroalgae within the Scytosiphonaceae family in French Polynesia, which had previously been recognized as encompassing only six species. Using the chloroplast and mitochondrial genes rbcL, psbA, and cox3 as molecular markers in conjunction with morpho-anatomical observations, we unveiled the presence of 11 species spanning six genera: Chnoospora minima, Colpomenia claytoniae, Co. sinuosa [groups IIIa and IIIb], Hydroclathrus rapanuii, H. tenuis, H. tilesii, Manzaea minuta, Pseudochnoospora implexa, Rosenvingea australis, and the newly described species R. polynesiensis sp. nov. and R. tahitiensis sp. nov. This encompasses the recognition of two previously unreported genera in this region: Manzaea and Pseudochnoospora. Sequences were successfully acquired for four taxa that had been documented previously, while the absence of sequences for H. clathratus and H. tumulis in French Polynesia raises queries about their presence in this region. With these additions, the total species count now stands at 13 (including H. clathratus and H. tumulis), one being an endemic species. The molecular-assisted alpha taxonomic approach used here allowed for a critical revision of the Scytosiphonaceae species checklist for French Polynesia. The diversity revealed in this region accounts for a substantial 20% of the family's global diversity. Additionally, our study presents an updated species-level phylogeny for the Scytosiphonaceae.     

Mediterranean Lithophyllum stictiforme (Corallinales,Rhodophyta) is a genetically diverse species complex: implications for species circumscription,biogeography and conservation of coralligenous habitats

Lithophyllum species in the Mediterranean Sea function as algal bioconstructors, contributing to the formation of biogenic habitats such as coralligenous concretions. In such habitats, thalli of Lithophyllum, consisting of crusts or lamellae with entire or lobed margins, have been variously referred to as either one species, L. stictiforme, or two species, L. stictiforme and L. cabiochiae, in the recent literature. We investigated species diversity and phylogenetic relationships in these algae by sequencing three markers (psbA and rbcL genes, cox2,3 spacer), in conjunction with methods for algorithmic delimitation of species (ABGD and GMYC). Mediterranean subtidal Lithophyllum belong to a well‐supported lineage, hereby called the L. stictiforme complex, which also includes two species described from the Atlantic, L. lobatum and L. searlesii. Our results indicate that the L. stictiforme complex consists of at least 13 species. Among the Mediterranean species, some are widely distributed and span most of the western and central Mediterranean, whereas others appear to be restricted to specific localities. These patterns are interpreted as possibly resulting from allopatric speciation events that took place during the Messinian Salinity Crisis and subsequent glacial periods. A partial rbcL sequence from the lectotype of L. stictiforme unambiguously indicates that this name applies to the most common subtidal Lithophyllum in the central Mediterranean. We agree with recent treatments that considered L. cabiochiae and L. stictiforme conspecific. The diversity of Lithophyllum in Mediterranean coralligenous habitats has been substantially underestimated, and future work on these and other Mediterranean corallines should use identifications based on DNA sequences.     

Colpomenia borea sp. nov. (Scytosiphonaceae,Phaeophyceae) from Japan and Far East Russia

Colpomenia borea sp. nov. is described from Hokkaido, Japan and Magadan, Far East Russia based on morphological observations and molecular analyses using mitochondrial cox3 and chloroplast rbcL genes. This new species is distinguished from other Colpomenia by its small globular to ovoidal thallus up to 5 cm in diameter, and thin thallus membrane composed of a cortex of one to two-cell layers and a colorless medulla of up to three layers. This species is epiphytic on the brown alga Stephanocystis in areas protected against waves. The life history in culture of C. borea was investigated and the observed life history pattern was similar to those reported in C. peregrina and C. sinuosa. Our phylogenetic analyses supported that C. borea is a distinct species, yet it is more related to C. peregrina than C. sinuosa.     

Phylogeography of the freshwater red alga Sirodotia (Batrachospermales,Rhodophyta) in Brazil

Considering the lack of knowledge on genetic variation on members of the freshwater red algal of the order Batrachospermales in tropical regions, phylogeographic patterns in Sirodotia populations were investigated using two mitochondrial regions: the cox2‐3 spacer and partial cox1 gene (barcode). Individuals identified as Sirodotia delicatula were analyzed from 14 stream segments across its distribution in Brazil. Phylogenetic analyses based on the ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large sub‐unit gene showed three clades, one representing S. delicatula, from all locations in southeastern Brazil and other regions from Brazil. The remaining samples formed two clades, which were highly divergent and distantly positioned from those of S. delicatula: 2.5–2.7% and 3.4–3.7%. This level of variation would warrant the species split of these taxa from mid‐western Brazil. A total of eight cox2‐3 spacer and nine cox1 haplotypes were observed among the 122 individuals studied. One location had two cox2‐3 haplotypes and three locations had two cox1 haplotypes; all others had a single dominant haplotype each. The existence of high intraspecific genetic variation among individuals of distinct locations (several haplotypes), but little variation within a location seems to be a pattern for the Batrachospermales. Haplotype networks showed low variation among the haplotypes from southeastern Brazil (10 locations with divergence of 0.3–1.1% for cox2‐3, 0.1–0.3% for cox1) and high variation among the haplotypes from the mid‐west region (four locations, 4.0–9.3% for cox2‐3, 6.2–8.4% for cox1). Thus, the present data clearly suggest the existence of cryptic species in Sirodotia in Brazil.     

Diversity of Chroothece (Rhodophyta,Stylonematales) including two new species

Chroothece has been reported from a range of freshwater environments, including streams, shallow ponds, trickling water on cliffs and moist soils, mostly in Europe and North America. The identification of genera and species by morphology is difficult because of overlaps in critical characters. To help clarify diversity within the genus, samples from Spain and from other regions (UK and Guam, western Pacific) were compared. Ecological and morphological data from field and cultured material were correlated with molecular data (rbcL gene sequences) that differentiate two new species: Chroothece thermalis I. Chapuis, P. Sánchez, M. Aboal & O. Necchi Jr., sp. nov. in a thermal spring and Chroothece lobata M. Aboal, B. A. Whitton, I. Chapuis, P. Sánchez & O. Necchi Jr., sp. nov. in a semi-arid stream. The results suggest recognition of four species, C. thermalis, C. lobata, C. richteriana Hansgirg and C. rupestris Hansgirg, from Spain. Morphology and ecology are useful to help distinguish these species, but the genus needs further study for possible cryptic diversity.     

Diversity and distribution of foliose Bangiales (Rhodophyta) in West Greenland: a link between the North Atlantic and North Pacific

Greenland is a continental island in the northern part of the North Atlantic where the foliose Bangiales flora is poorly known. It is an important area for the study of algal biogeography because of the region’s glacial history, in which Greenland has been alternately exposed to or isolated from the North Pacific via the Bering Strait. A molecular study using 3′ rbcL + 5′ rbcL–S sequences was undertaken to assess the diversity of foliose Bangiales on the west coast of Greenland and rbcL sequences were used to study the Greenland flora in a larger phylogenetic and floristic context. New and historic collections document seven species in four genera from the west coast of Greenland. All species had a close link to North Pacific species, being either conspecific with them or North Atlantic–North Pacific vicariant counterparts.     

Morphological delineation and distribution patterns of four newly described species within the Synura petersenii species complex (Chrysophyceae,Stramenopiles)

The Synura petersenii species complex represents a common, cosmopolitan and highly diverse taxon of autotrophic freshwater flagellates. In this paper, we describe and characterize four new species (S. borealis, S. heteropora, S. hibernica and S. laticarina) that have been identified during our extensive sampling of freshwater habitats in 15 European countries. Morphometric analyses of siliceous scales led to the significant phenotypic differentiation of all four newly described species, and their separation from other related species of the S. petersenii complex. Two of these newly described species (S. hibernica and S. borealis) can be clearly distinguished by characteristic large colonies consisting of elongated, lanceolate-shaped cells. Development of strongly elongated, narrow cells in S. hibernica could be explained by the adaptation of this species to oligotrophic conditions. Though morphologically distinct, S. borealis possesses an exceptionally high degree of genetic diversity, possibly indicating recent speciation and evolutionary diversification within this taxon. Three of the four newly described species exhibit restricted biogeographic distribution. The evolutionarily related S. borealis and S. laticarina occur only in Northern Europe, and seem to be adapted to colder areas. The most remarkable distribution pattern was observed for S. hibernica, which has a geographic distribution that is restricted to western Ireland.     

Barcoding of Central European Cryptops centipedes reveals large interspecific distances with ghost lineages and new species records from Germany and Austria (Chilopoda,Scolopendromorpha)

In order to evaluate the diversity of Central European Myriapoda species in the course of the German Barcode of Life project, 61 cytochrome c oxidase I sequences of the genus Cryptops Leach, 1815, a centipede genus of the order Scolopendromorpha, were successfully sequenced and analyzed. One sequence of Scolopendracingulata Latreille, 1829 and one of Theatopserythrocephalus Koch, 1847 were utilized as outgroups. Instead of the expected three species (Cryptopsparisi Brolemann, 1920; Cryptopsanomalans Newport, 1844; Cryptopshortensis (Donovan, 1810)), analyzed samples included eight to ten species. Of the eight clearly distinguishable morphospecies of Cryptops, five (Cryptopsparisi; Cryptopscroaticus Verhoeff, 1931; Cryptopsanomalans; Cryptopsumbricus Verhoeff, 1931; Cryptopshortensis) could be tentatively determined to species level, while a further three remain undetermined (one each from Germany, Austria and Croatia, and Slovenia). Cryptopscroaticus is recorded for the first time from Austria. A single specimen (previously suspected as being Cryptopsanomalans), was redetermined as Cryptopsumbricus Verhoeff, 1931, a first record for Germany. All analyzed Cryptops species are monophyletic and show large genetic distances from one another (p-distances of 13.7–22.2%). Clear barcoding gaps are present in lineages represented by >10 specimens, highlighting the usefulness of the barcoding method for evaluating species diversity in centipedes. German specimens formally assigned to Cryptopsparisi are divided into three clades differing by 8.4–11.3% from one another; their intra-lineage genetic distance is much lower at 0–1.1%. The three clades are geographically separate, indicating that they might represent distinct species. Aside from Cryptopsparisi, intraspecific distances of Cryptops spp. in Central Europe are low (<3.3%).     

There is more to maerl than meets the eye: DNA barcoding reveals a new species in Britain,Lithothamnion erinaceum sp. nov. (Hapalidiales,Rhodophyta)

Due to the high plasticity of coralline algae, identification based on morphology alone can be extremely difficult, so studies increasingly use a combination of morphology and genetics in species delimitation. A DNA barcoding study was carried out on maerl-forming coralline algae using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 gene, CO1, and the plastid gene, psbA, on field specimens from Falmouth and Oban together with herbarium specimens from the Natural History Museum, UK, and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, USA. Results revealed the presence in the north of Britain of a new species, Lithothamnion erinaceum Melbourne & J. Brodie, sp. nov., which was previously misidentified as Lithothamnion glaciale. The results also indicated that Lithothamnion lemoineae, which had earlier been recorded from Britain, was not present. One of the biggest concerns at present is how organisms will respond to climate change and ocean acidification, and it is imperative that investigations are put on a firm taxonomic basis. Our study has highlighted the importance of using molecular techniques to aid in the elucidation of cryptic diversity.     

Delimitation of cryptic species of the Scytosiphon lomentaria complex (Scytosiphonaceae,Phaeophyceae) in Japan,based on mitochondrial and nuclear molecular markers

Scytosiphon lomentaria (Scytosiphonaceae, Ectocarpales) is believed to include some cryptic species, particularly in the Pacific. We attempted to delimit these species in Japan using mitochondrial cox1 and cox3 and nuclear ITS2 and the second intron of the centrin gene (cetn‐int2). Fifty‐three cox1+cox3 mitotypes, 26 ITS2 ribotypes and 45 cetn‐int2 haplotypes were found in 107 samples collected from 33 localities in Japan. Based on phylogenetic analyses, similar sequence types were grouped into ten mitogroups, eight ribogroups and six cetn‐int2 haplogroups (sequence‐type groups). From the molecular trees and combinations of the mito‐, ribo‐ and haplogroups, three cryptic species were apparent (Groups I–III). Group I, widely distributed on Pacific coasts, was highly supported by all molecular trees, whereas Groups II (North Pacific) and III (Northwestern Pacific and Australasia) were more closely related to each other. However, sequence‐type‐group combinations that would be characteristic of hybrids between Groups II and III were not detected, suggesting no gene flow between the two Groups. Further investigations of an additional 127 sympatrically growing plants supported the absence of gene flow between Groups II and III. Four samples did not belong to any of the Groups I–III and possibly represent additional species.     

Sibling species of mutualistic Symbiodinium clade G from bioeroding sponges in the western Pacific and western Atlantic oceans

Dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium associate with a broad array of metazoan and protistian hosts. Symbiodinium‐based symbioses involving bioeroding sponge hosts have received less attention than those involving popular scleractinian hosts. Certain species of common Cliona harbor high densities of an ecologically restricted group of Symbiodinium, referred to as Clade G. Clade G Symbiodinium are also known to form stable and functionally important associations with Foraminifera and black corals (Antipatharia) Analyses of genetic evidence indicate that Clade G likely comprises several distinct species. Here, we use nucleotide sequence data in combination with ecological and geographic attributes to formally describe Symbiodinium endoclionum sp. nov. obtained from the Pacific boring sponge Cliona orientalis and Symbiodinium spongiolum sp. nov. from the congeneric western Atlantic sponge Cliona varians. These species appear to be part of an adaptive radiation comprising lineages of Clade G specialized to the metazoan phyla Porifera and Cnidaria, which began prior to the separation of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.     

A new species of pikeblenny (Blenniiformes: Chaenopsidae: Chaenopsis) from the tropical eastern Pacific and a key to all species

The genus Chaenopsis presently includes 10 species, four in the eastern Pacific and six in the western Atlantic. Five individuals of an undescribed species of this genus were obtained at Gorgona Island in the eastern Pacific of Colombia, in depths between 3 and 5 m. This new species differs from all the Eastern Pacific species in an array of traits including meristic, coloration and morphometric characters. Chaenopsis celeste new species differs from its only sympatric species, C. deltarrhis, in having fewer pectoral rays, fewer dorsal spines and more dorsal-fin soft rays and anal-fin elements. This new species is found over shallow sandy, rubble and small rocks bottoms from Costa Rica to Colombia.     

Patterns of genetic diversity of the cryptogenic red alga Polysiphonia morrowii (Ceramiales,Rhodophyta) suggest multiple origins of the Atlantic populations

The red alga Polysiphonia morrowii, native to the North Pacific (Northeast Asia), has recently been reported worldwide. To determine the origin of the French and Argentine populations of this introduced species, we compared samples from these two areas with samples collected in Korea and at Hakodate, Japan, the type locality of the species. Combined analyses of chloroplastic (rbcL) and mitochondrial (cox1) DNA revealed that the French and Argentine populations are closely related and differ substantially from the Korean and Japanese populations. The genetic structure of P. morrowii populations from South Atlantic and North Atlantic, which showed high haplotype diversity compared with populations from the North Pacific, suggested the occurrence of multiple introduction events from areas outside of the so‐called native regions. Although similar, the French and Argentine populations are not genetically identical. Thus, the genetic structure of these two introduced areas may have been modified by cryptic and recurrent introduction events directly from Asia or from other introduced areas that act as introduction relays. In addition, the large number of private cytoplasmic types identified in the two introduced regions strongly suggests that local populations of P. morrowii existed before the recent detection of these invasions. Our results suggest that the most likely scenario is that the source population(s) of the French and Argentine populations was not located only in the North Pacific and/or that P. morrowii is a cryptogenic species.     

Rhodenigma contortum,an obscure new genus and species of Rhodogorgonales (Rhodophyta) from Western Australia

An unknown microscopic, branched filamentous red alga was isolated into culture from coral fragments collected in Coral Bay, Western Australia. It grew well unattached or attached to glass with no reproduction other than fragmentation of filaments. Cells of some branch tips became slightly contorted and digitated, possibly as a substrate‐contact‐response seen at filament tips of various algae. Attached multicellular compact disks on glass had a very different cellular configuration and size than the free filaments. In culture the filaments did not grow on or in coral fragments. Molecular phylogenies based on four markers (rbcL, cox1, 18S, 28S) clearly showed it belongs to the order Rhodogorgonales, as a sister clade of Renouxia. Based on these results, the alga is described as the new genus and species Rhodenigma contortum in the Rhodogorgonaceae. It had no morphological similarity to either of the other genera in Rhodogorgonaceae and illustrates the unknown diversity in cryptic habitats such as tropical coral rubble.     

The subgenus Ashima (Diptera,Drosophildae, Phortica) from China,with DNA barcoding and descriptions of three new species

In the present study, three new species found in Yunnan, Southwest China were described as members of the subgenus Phortica (Ashima): P. (A.) haba An & Chen, sp. nov., P. (A.) montipagana An & Chen, sp. nov. and P. (A.) qingsongi An & Chen, sp. nov. Barcode sequences (partial sequences of the mitochondrial COI gene) were collected from 61 specimens of 16 known and the above-mentioned three new Ashima species. The intra- and interspecific pairwise K-2P (Kimura two-parameter) COI distances were analysed and a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the barcode sequences. Species delimitation in this subgenus was supported by integrating barcodes with morphological information, in particular for the three new species, considered to be cryptic species. In addition, the diversification of lineages in the subgenus Ashima was proposed to occur in southern China and adjacent areas, suggesting specific adaptation of Ashima species to the high plateau environments.

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