title: A NEW AGAROPHYTE SPECIES, GELIDIUM EUCORNEUM SP. NOV. (GELIDIALES, RHODOPHYTA), BASED ON MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOGICAL DATA(1).
abstract: Gelidium is an economically and ecologically important agar-producing genus. Although the taxonomy of Gelidium has been the focus of many published studies, there is still a need to reevaluate species-level diversity. Herein, we describe Gelidium eucorneum sp. nov. based on specimens collected off Geojedo on the southern coast of Korea. G. eucorneum is distinguished by cartilaginous thalli with brush-like haptera, rhizoidal filaments concentrated in the medulla, and globose cytocarps that are horned with multiple determinate branchlets. The species occurs in wave-exposed intertidal sites, sometimes in association with other mat-forming algae. Phylogenetic analyses (rbcL, psaA, and cox1) reveal that G. eucorneum is unique and clearly distinct from other species of the genus. The clade containing Gelidium vagum and Acanthopeltis longiramulosa was resolved as a sister group to G. eucorneum. We suggest that the diverse morphologies of G. eucorneum, G. vagum, and Acanthopeltis developed from a common ancestor in East Asian waters. This study shows that even in well-studied areas, more agarophyte species are to be added to the world inventory of red algae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, KoreaSeaweed Research Center, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Mokpo 530-821, KoreaDepartment of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyeong Mi
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, KoreaSeaweed Research Center, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Mokpo 530-821, KoreaDepartment of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Korea.
authors.forename: Il Ki
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, KoreaSeaweed Research Center, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Mokpo 530-821, KoreaDepartment of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Kwang
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, KoreaSeaweed Research Center, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Mokpo 530-821, KoreaDepartment of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Boo
keywords: Gelidium; Gelidium eucorneum sp. nov.; Rhodophyta; mitochondrial cox1; morphology; plastid genes; psaA; rbcL; systematics