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Schizymenia jonssonii sp. nov. (Nemastomatales, Rhodophyta): a relict or an introduction into the North Atlantic after the last glacial maximum?
Author(s) -
Gunnarsson Karl,
Russell Stephen,
Brodie Juliet
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/jpy.12957
Subject(s) - biology , monophyly , genus , molecular phylogenetics , clade , crustose , zoology , evolutionary biology , phylogenetics , botany , algae , biochemistry , gene
North‐Atlantic records of Schizymenia dubyi extend along the eastern shores of the North Atlantic from Morocco to southern Britain and Ireland, and the species is also recorded from Iceland. A study was undertaken to confirm the identity of the specimens from Iceland that were geographically separate from the main distribution of S. dubyi and in contrast to other species of the genus did not have gland cells. We analyzed rbc L and COI molecular sequence data from Icelandic specimens and compared the results with those for Schizymenia specimens available in GenBank. For both markers, Schizymenia was shown to be a monophyletic genus. The Icelandic specimens were clearly genetically distinct from S. dubyi and formed a well‐supported clade with Schizymenia species from the Northern Pacific. Based on these results, we have described a new species, Schizymenia jonssonii , which can be distinguished by molecular phylogeny, its lack of gland cells and by being strictly intertidal. Crustose tetrasporophytes with identical COI and rbc L sequences were found at the same locations as foliose plants. Schizymenia apoda is reported for the first time in the UK , its identity confirmed by rbc L sequence data. In light of these findings, it is likely that by further molecular analysis of the genus Schizymenia in the north‐eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, a higher diversity of Schizymenia spp. will be discovered in this region.