A new Korean red algal species, Haraldiophyllum udoensis sp. nov. (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta)

doi:2011.26.3.211

Algae > Volume 26(3); 2011 > Article

Algae 2011;26(3): 211-219. doi: https://doi.org/10.4490/algae.2011.26.3.211

Myung Sook Kim¹^,* and Jeong Chan Kang¹

¹Department of Biology, Jeju National University, Jeju 690-756, Korea

*Corresponding Author

Email: myungskim@jejunu.ac.kr

ABSTRACT

The genus Haraldiophyllum comprises seven species worldwide. Six of these are endemics with limited distributions, whereas the type species H. bonnemaisonii has been reported from the Atlantic Ocean. In Korea, H. bonnemaisonii has been previously recorded from the southern coast. During a red algal collection at Udo, Jeju Island, Korea, we found a potentially undescribed Haraldiophyllum species and analyzed its morphology and rbcL sequences. Herein we describe a new species, H. udoensis sp. nov., and compare our Udo specimen to similar congeners. This new species is characterized by one or several elliptical blades on a short cylindrical stipe with fibrous roots, blades that are monostromatic except at the base and on reproductive structures, a lack of network and microscopic veins, entire margins, lack of proliferations, growth through many marginal initials, and two distinct tetrasporangia layers. A phylogenetic rbcL sequence analysis demonstrated H. udoensis was distinct from the United Kingdom’s H. bonnemaisonii, as well as from other species. Morphological and sequence data indicated a previous misidentification of H. udoensis as the type species H. bonnemaisonii. Based on maximum likelihood analysis, Myriogramme formed a sister clade with H. udoensis, with relatively low bootstrap support.

Key words: Delesseriaceae; Haraldiophyllum udoensis sp. nov.; morphology; rbcL; Rhodophyta; taxonomy