• Title/Summary/Keyword: Amalthea rubida sp. nov.

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Verifying a new distribution of the genus Amalthea (Halymeniales, Rhodophyta) with description of A. rubida sp. nov. from Korea

  • Lee, Hyung Woo;Yang, Mi Yeon;Kim, Myung Sook
    • ALGAE
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.341-349
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    • 2016
  • The red algal genus Amalthea was first described from New Zealand with one species, A. freemaniae. We discovered a new species of Amalthea from Korea, Amalthea rubida sp. nov., and described it based on morphology and rbcL sequences. A. rubida is characterized by a foliose, membranous and soft thallus having loosely arranged anticlinal medullary filaments, much like A. freemaniae, except for a difference of the cortex thickness in the basal part of vegetative structure. In the rbcL phylogenetic analyses, A. rubida formed a clade with A. freemaniae from New Zealand and Halymenia abyssicola from Mexico. A. rubida showed 5.7% interspecific divergence to A. freemaniae and 4.7% to H. abyssicola. Our discovery of A. rubida expands the distribution of Amalthea from the oceanic southwestern Pacific into the continental northwestern. A targeted global study is needed to fully reveal the species diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Amalthea and members of the order Halymeniales.