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Type: Article
Published: 2015-07-01
Page range: 137–146
Abstract views: 19
PDF downloaded: 48

Polulichloris henanensis gen. et sp. nov. (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta), a novel subaerial coccoid green alga

Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People’s Republic of China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, People’s Republic of China
Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People’s Republic of China
State key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People’s Republic of China
Phylogeny Taxonomy Subaerial alage Trebouxiophyceae Watanabea clade Algae

Abstract

Coccoid green algae are abundant in subaerial habitats, but they are largely unexplored because of their morphological uniformity. Several new genus-level lineages have recently been described on the basis of molecular data. In this study, a coccoid green alga was isolated from surface soil in Zhoukou, Henan Province, China, and the cultured cells were described using light and electron microscopy. The ellipsoidal cell had smooth cell wall and parietal chloroplast with a pyrenoid surrounded by a starch envelope. Reproduction occurred by formation of 2‒16 autospores. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the nuclear 18S rDNA gene and the chloroplast ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase gene (rbcL) indicated that this coccoid green alga represents a new lineage of the Watanabea clade (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta). Here, we describe this organism as a new genus and species, Polulichloris henanensis, gen. et sp. nov.