COLEOFASCICULUS GEN. NOV. (CYANOBACTERIA): MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR CRITERIA FOR REVISION OF THE GENUS MICROCOLEUS GOMONT1 |
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| Authors: | Maria A. Siegesmund Jeffrey R. Johansen Ulf Karsten Thomas Friedl |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Experimental Phycology and Culture Collection of Algae, Georg‐August University G?ttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073?G?ttingen, Germany;2. Present address: School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.;3. Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio 44118, USA;4. Universit?t Rostock, Institut für Biologische Wissenschaften, Albert‐Einstein‐Strasse 3, 18057 Rostock, Germany;5. Author for correspondence: e‐mail . |
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| Abstract: | Species currently classified within the cyanobacterial genus Microcoleus were determined to fall into two distinct clades in a 16S rDNA phylogeny, one containing taxa within the Oscillatoriaceae, the other containing taxa within the Phormidiaceae. The two lineages were confirmed in an analysis of the 16S–23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequences and secondary structures. The type species for Microcoleus is M. vaginatus Gomont, and this taxon belongs in the Oscillatoriaceae. Consequently, Microcoleus taxa in the Phormidiaceae must be placed in separate genera, and we propose the new genus Coleofasciculus to contain marine taxa currently placed in Microcoleus. The type species for Coleofasciculus is the well‐studied and widespread marine mat‐forming species Microcoleus chthonoplastes (Mert.) Zanardini ex Gomont. Other characters separating the two families include type of cell division and thylakoid structure. |
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| Keywords: | 16S– 23S internal transcribed spacer cyanobacteria ITS rRNA secondary structure Microcoleus morphology phylogeny taxonomy |
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