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Issue: Vol. 728 No. 1: 11 Nov. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-11-11
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.728.1.1
Page range: 1-16
Abstract views: 227
PDF downloaded: 159

Meridiolithothamnion atlanticum gen. et sp. nov. (Hapalidiales, Rhodophyta), a rhodolith-forming non-geniculate coralline alga from Brazil and offshore the northern Gulf of Mexico

Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Diretoria de Pesquisa Científica, Rua Pacheco Leão 915, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22460-030, Brasil
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, School of Biological Sciences, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, U.S.A.
Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Diretoria de Pesquisa Científica, Rua Pacheco Leão 915, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22460-030, Brasil
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, School of Biological Sciences, Lafayette, LA 70504-3602, U.S.A.
Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ 24210-201, Brasil
biogeography NGCA coralline algae intertidal, marine algae marine biodiversity mesophotic rhodoliths seaweeds Algae

Abstract

DNA sequence analysis of plastid-encoded psbA and rbcL loci of rhodolith-forming specimens of Hapalidiales from Brazil and the NW and NE Gulf of Mexico revealed them to belong to an unnamed species in a herein newly described genus named Meridiolithothamnion atlanticum gen. et sp. nov. that is sister to Boreolithothamnion (Hapalidiaceae). Detailed morpho-anatomical examination supports its taxonomic uniqueness, highlighting specific combination of vegetative and reproductive structures, including distinctive balloon-like basal pore canal cells within the tetrasporangial conceptacles. This genus contributes to understanding the biodiversity and biogeographic linkages of marine algae across the Western Atlantic, suggesting connectivity between Brazil and Gulf of Mexico regions.

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How to Cite

Leão, L.A.S.D., Richards, J.L., Bahia, R.G., Fredericq, S. & Pereira, R.C. (2025) Meridiolithothamnion atlanticum gen. et sp. nov. (Hapalidiales, Rhodophyta), a rhodolith-forming non-geniculate coralline alga from Brazil and offshore the northern Gulf of Mexico. Phytotaxa 728 (1): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.728.1.1