Erythrolobus australicus sp. nov. (Porphyridiophyceae, Rhodophyta): a description based on several approaches
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Eun Chan Yang1, Joe Scott2, John A. West3,*, Hwan Su Yoon1,4, Akiko Yokoyama5, Ulf Karsten6, Susan Loiseaux de Goër7 and Evguenia Orlova2
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1Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, P.O. Box 475, 180 McKown Point Road, West Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575, USA 2Department of Biology, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA 3School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia 4Department of Biological Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Korea 5Structural Biosciences, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Pref. 305-8572, Japan 6Institute of Biological Sciences - Applied Ecology, University of Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 3, D-18057 Rostock, Germany 711 Rue des Moguerou, 29680 Roscoff, France
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ABSTRACT |
The unicellular marine red alga Erythrolobus australicus sp. nov. (Porphyridiophyceae) was isolated into laboratory culture from mangroves in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. The single multi-lobed red to rose-red plastid has more than one pyrenoid and lacks a peripheral thylakoid. Arrays of small electron dense globules occur along the thylakoids. The nucleus is peripheral with a central to eccentric nucleolus. Each Golgi body is associated with a mitochondrion. The spherical cells are positively phototactic with slow gliding movement. The psaA + psbA phylogeny clearly showed that E. australicus is a distinct species, which is closely related to E. coxiae. The chemotaxonomically relevant and most abundant low molecular weight carbohydrate in E. australicus is floridoside with concentrations between 209 and 231 μmol g-1 dry weight. Traces of digeneaside were also detected. These various approaches help to understand the taxonomic diversity of unicellular red algae.
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Key words:
Australia; digeneaside; Erythrolobus; floridoside; molecular phylogeny; Porphyridiophyceae; ultrastructure; unicells |
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