First report of Halopeltis (Rhodophyta, Rhodymeniaceae) from the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere: H. adnata (Okamura) comb. nov. from Korea, and H. pellucida sp. nov. and H. willisii sp. nov. from the North Atlantic

Using genetic sequencing (COI-5P, LSU, rbcL) to elucidate their phylogenetic positions and then morphological characters to distinguish each from existing species, three procumbent species, including two novel species, from warm temperate Northern Hemisphere waters are added to the recently resurrected genus Halopeltis J. Agardh: H. adnata (Okamura) comb. nov. from Korea, H. pellucida sp. nov. from Bermuda and H. willisii sp. nov. from North Carolina, USA. Prior to these reports, the genus was confined to the Southern Hemisphere and tropical equatorial waters of the Northern Hemisphere although the latter records lack molecular confirmation. These three additional species join the six known species presently residing in Halopelti

Gracilaria parva sp. nov. (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) a Diminutive Species from the Tropical Eastern Pacific

DNA sequencing of the plastid encoded rbcL gene supported by morpho-anatomical features reveals Gracilaria parva sp. nov. from Panama and Ecuador in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. In the rbcL phylogram, G. parva occurs in a clade sister to the western Atlantic species G. galatensis. Morphologically and anatomically, G. parva is distinguished from two similar, described tropical eastern Pacific species, G. brevis and G. veleroae by its small size, to 2.5 cm tall with branch widths mostly <2 mm occasionally to 4 mm, and by its two to three cell layered cortex. Gracilaria brevis and G. veleroae are taller, have wider branches, and a one cell layered cortex. DNA sequencing is needed to resolve the many diminutive species in the tropical eastern Pacific, particularly those occurring in turf communities. DNA sequencing of historical type specimens from the 19th and 20th centuries is also needed to correctly apply names in this region

Monitoring an Alien Invasion: DNA Barcoding and the Identification of Lionfish and Their Prey on Coral Reefs of the Mexican Caribbean

BACKGROUND: In the Mexican Caribbean, the exotic lionfish Pterois volitans has become a species of great concern because of their predatory habits and rapid expansion onto the Mesoamerican coral reef, the second largest continuous reef system in the world. This is the first report of DNA identification of stomach contents of lionfish using the barcode of life reference database (BOLD). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We confirm with barcoding that only Pterois volitans is apparently present in the Mexican Caribbean. We analyzed the stomach contents of 157 specimens of P. volitans from various locations in the region. Based on DNA matches in the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) and GenBank, we identified fishes from five orders, 14 families, 22 genera and 34 species in the stomach contents. The families with the most species represented were Gobiidae and Apogonidae. Some prey taxa are commercially important species. Seven species were new records for the Mexican Caribbean: Apogon mosavi, Coryphopterus venezuelae, C. thrix, C. tortugae, Lythrypnus minimus, Starksia langi and S. ocellata. DNA matches, as well as the presence of intact lionfish in the stomach contents, indicate some degree of cannibalism, a behavior confirmed in this species by the first time. We obtained 45 distinct crustacean prey sequences, from which only 20 taxa could be identified from the BOLD and GenBank databases. The matches were primarily to Decapoda but only a single taxon could be identified to the species level, Euphausia americana. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This technique proved to be an efficient and useful method, especially since prey species could be identified from partially-digested remains. The primary limitation is the lack of comprehensive coverage of potential prey species in the region in the BOLD and GenBank databases, especially among invertebrates

The genera Melanothamnus Bornet & Falkenberg and Vertebrata S.F. Gray constitute well-defined clades of the red algal tribe Polysiphonieae (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales).

Polysiphonia is the largest genus of red algae, and several schemes subdividing it into smaller taxa have been proposed since its original description. Most of these proposals were not generally accepted, and currently the tribe Polysiphonieae consists of the large genus Polysiphonia (190 species), the segregate genus Neosiphonia (43 species), and 13 smaller genera (< 10 species each). In this paper, phylogenetic relationships of the tribe Polysiphonieae are analysed, with particular emphasis on the genera Carradoriella, Fernandosiphonia, Melanothamnus, Neosiphonia, Polysiphonia sensu stricto, Streblocladia and Vertebrata. We evaluated the consistency of 14 selected morphological characters in the identified clades. Based on molecular phylogenetic (rbcL and 18S genes) and morphological evidence, two speciose genera are recognized: Vertebrata (including the type species of the genera Ctenosiphonia, Enelittosiphonia, Boergeseniella and Brongniartella) and Melanothamnus (including the type species of the genera Fernandosiphonia and Neosiphonia). Both genera are distinguished from other members of the Polysiphonieae by synapomorphic characters, the emergence of which could have provided evolutionarily selective advantages for these two lineages. In Vertebrata trichoblast cells are multinucleate, possibly associated with the development of extraordinarily long, photoprotective, trichoblasts. Melanothamnus has 3-celled carpogonial branches and plastids lying exclusively on radial walls of the pericentral cells, which similarly may improve resistance to damage caused by excessive light. Other relevant characters that are constant in each genus are also shared with other clades. The evolutionary origin of the genera Melanothamnus and Vertebrata is estimated as 75.7-95.78 and 90.7-138.66 Ma, respectively. Despite arising in the Cretaceous, before the closure of the Tethys Seaway, Melanothamnus is a predominantly Indo-Pacific genus and its near-absence from the northeastern Atlantic is enigmatic. The nomenclatural implications of this work are that 46 species are here transferred to Melanothamnus, six species are transferred to Vertebrata and 13 names are resurrected for Vertebrata

Redécouverte du Gelidiella ramellosa (Kützing) Feldmann et Hamel (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) près de la localité-type en Australie Occidentale.

L\u27algue rouge peu connue, Gelidiella ramellosa (Kützing) Feldmann et Hamel, est décrite à partir de spécimens récoltés près de la localité-type en Australie Occidentale. Les plantes de 1-2 cm de hauteur présentent des stolons prostrés, fixés aux rochers grâce à des faisceaux de rhizoïdes. Les axes sont dressés, cylindriques et légèrement effilés ou légèrement comprimés, et ramifiés de façon irrègulièrement pennée. D\u27un point de vue structurel la moelle est pseudoparenchymateuse sans axe central reconnaissable. Les rhizines sont absentes. Les spermatanges forment des sores superficiels. Les tétrasporanges forment des verticilles irréguliers sur des stichidia cylindriques, légèrement effilés, rétrécis à la base et portés latéralement par des axes dressés. Les séquences des LSU nrDNA et rbcL placent G. ramellosa dans un clade contenant des espèces de Gelidiella et Parviphycus sans pour autant élucider de façon définitive ses relations phylogénétiques avec l\u27un ou l\u27autre genre.The poorly known red alga Gelidiella ramellosa (Kützing) Feldmann et Hamel is described from specimens collected near the type locality in Western Australia. Plants occur as turfs to 1-2 cm in height, with prostrate stolons attached by clusters of rhizoids to rock. Erect axes are irregularly pinnately branched and terete to slightly compressed. Structurally, the medulla is pseudoparenchymatous with no discernable central axis, and rhizines are absent. Spermatangia occur in surface sori. Tetrasporangia are borne in irregular whorls in terete, basally constricted stichidia that are lateral on erect axes. LSU nrDNA and rbcL sequence analyses clearly place G. ramellosa in a clade containing species of Gelidiella and Parviphycus, but are equivocal regarding its relationship with either genus.</p

Morphological and Genetic Variation in the Endemic Seagrass Halophila hawaiiana (Hydrocharitaceae) in the Hawaiian Archipelago

The endemic seagrass Halophila hawaiiana Doty & Stone is found in discrete populations throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago. Morphological characteristics of plants from Midway Atoll, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Kaua'i, O'ahu, Moloka'i, and Maui were measured and compared. Striking variation in leaf length, leaf width, leaf length to width ratio, and internode length was evident among the 18 collection sites sampled at depths ranging from 0.32 to 18 m. DNA sequence analyses of a chloroplast-genome, single-base repeat locus in ramets from nine different collections found only two repeat haplotypes. Repeat haplotypes were fixed at all collection sites and for all islands except O'ahu

First report of Halopeltis (Rhodophyta, Rhodymeniaceae) from the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere: H. adnata (Okamura) comb. nov. from Korea, and H. pellucida sp. nov. and H. willisii sp. nov. from the North Atlantic

Using genetic sequencing (COI-5P, LSU, rbcL) to elucidate their phylogenetic positions and then morphological characters to distinguish each from existing species, three procumbent species, including two novel species, from warm temperate Northern Hemisphere waters are added to the recently resurrected genus Halopeltis J. Agardh: H. adnata (Okamura) comb. nov. from Korea, H. pellucida sp. nov. from Bermuda and H. willisii sp. nov. from North Carolina, USA. Prior to these reports, the genus was confined to the Southern Hemisphere and tropical equatorial waters of the Northern Hemisphere although the latter records lack molecular confirmation. These three additional species join the six known species presently residing in Halopelti