A re-examination of the genus Leptofauchea (Faucheaceae, Rhodymeniales) with clarification of species in Australia and the northwest Pacific

Abstract

:Recently collected material from Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, was identified as the generitype of Leptofauchea, L. nitophylloides. This facilitated a re-examination of Leptofauchea and its constituent species to assess monophyly. Multigene phylogenetic analysis of COI-5P, LSU and rbcL solidly allied species assigned to Leptofauchea in previous studies with the generitype, establishing for the first time monophyly for this genus. In addition to L. nitophylloides, COI-5P barcode analyses revealed a second Australian species of Leptofauchea from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean, described as L. cocosana sp. nov. Further, COI-5P barcode analyses resolved collections assignable to Leptofauchea from South Korea as two genetic species groups. One of these groups was L. leptophylla; whereas, the second genetic species group warranted description of L. munseomica sp. nov. GenBank entries for the two species of Leptofauchea previously reported in the northwest Pacific (L. leptophylla described from Japan and L. rhodymenioides described from the Caribbean) were resolved as conspecific (a cryptic complex at best) and morphologically assigned to L. leptophylla.