Pterocladiella andresii G.H.Boo, M.S.Calderon & S.M.Boo, 2017

Boo, Ga Hun, Calderon, Martha S. & Boo, Sung Min, 2017, A new marine alga, Pterocladiella andresii sp. nov. (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) and its relationship to P. caloglossoides from Pacific South America, Phytotaxa 319 (2), pp. 139-148 : 140-143

Pterocladiella andresii G.H.Boo, M.S.Calderon & S.M.Boo , sp. nov. ( Figs 1–9 )

Type: — CHILE. Coquimbo, Chungungo (29°27’03” S, 71°18’17” W), on intertidal rocks, 27 October 2011, S. M. Boo (holotype CNU012838 in CNUK [ Department of Biology , Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea]; isotypes CNU012838-2 , CNU012838-3 ) .

Plants forming turfs up to 1.2 cm tall, light red, composed of prostrate stolons and erect axes ( Figs 1–3 ). Prostrate stolons terete, rarely branched, attached to substrata by peg-like haptera arising at intervals from the basal side of prostrate stolons. Erect axes, arising on the opposite side of stolons where rhizoids occurred, simple, linear or ribbon-shaped, 140–400 μm in width. Branches determinate to indeterminate, irregularly 1–3 new branches from damaged parts, mostly with one or rarely two orders of branching. Apical cells single, dome shaped ( Fig. 4 ), and surface cells small, arranged in an arcuate pattern in the upper part of thallus but irregularly arranged in the center ( Figs 4, 5 ).

Cortex consisting of three to four layers of pigmented cortical cells. Medulla composed of colorless elongate cells in two rows, and translucent, congested rhizines ( Fig. 6 ).

Tetrasporangial sori 300–500 μm wide, arising on ultimate ligulate branches and/or main axes, inflated ( Fig. 7 ); v-shaped tetrasporangia arrangement in young sori ( Fig. 8 ), becoming irregular in mature sori with sterile margins; tetrasporangia 19–23 μm × 29–42 μm, cruciately divided ( Fig. 9 ). Male and female plants not observed.

Morphological characters of P. andresii and other similar species are provided in Table 1.

Distribution and Habitat: — Pterocladiella andresii is currently known from Chungungo, Coqiumbo, Chile. It grows with Gelidium and Polysiphonia species on intertidal rocks.

Etymology: —The specific epithet honors Dr. Andres Mansilla, Professor of Laboratorio de Ecosistemas de Macroalgas Antárticas y Subantárticas (LEMAS), Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile for his help in specimen collection and outstanding contributions to the marine algae in Chile.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Pterocladiella andresii G.H. Boo, M.S. Calderon & S.M. Boo, sp. nov. 1. Habit of a holotype specimen (CNU012838). Scale bar = 2 mm. 2. Habit of isotype specimen (CNU012838-1). Scale bar = 2 mm. 3. Habit of isotype specimen (CNU012838-2). Scale bar = 2 mm. 4. Apex of young branch showing apical cell (arrowhead) and surface cells arranged in arcuate pattern. Scale bar = 20 μm. 5. Irregularly arranged outermost cortical cells in surface view in center part. Scale bar = 20 μm. 6. Transverse section of erect branch showing outermost cortical cells (oc), inner cortical cells (ic), rhizines (rz) and medullary cells (mc). Scale bar = 20 μm. 7. Tetrasporangial sorus with irregularly arranged tetrasporangia (CNU012838-3). Scale bar = 100 μm. 8. Young tetrasporangial sorus with v-shaped tetrasporangial arrangement (CNU012838-3). Scale bar = 200 μm. 9. Transverse section of tetrasporangial sorus showing tetrasporangia (arrowheads). Scale bar = 50 μm.