Abstract
Recent molecular studies indicate that the Pyropia lanceolata species complex on the west coast of North America is more speciose than previously thought. Based on extensive rbcL gene sequencing of representative specimens we recognize seven species in the complex, three of which are newly described: Pyropia montereyensis sp. nov., Pyropia columbiensis sp. nov., and Pyropia protolanceolata sp. nov. The new species are all lanceolate, at least when young, and occur in the upper mid to high intertidal zone primarily in winter and early spring. Pyropia montereyensis and Pyropia columbiensis are sister taxa that are distributed south and north of Cape Mendocino, respectively, and both occur slightly lower on the shore than Pyropia lanceolata or Pyropia pseudolanceolata. Pyropia protolanceolata is known thus far only from Morro Rock and the Monterey Peninsula, California; it occurs basally to the other species in the complex in the molecular phylogeny. A fourth newly described species, Pyropia bajacaliforniensis sp. nov., is more closely related to Pyropia nereocystis than to species in this complex proper. It is a thin species with undulate margins known only from Moss Landing, Monterey Bay, California, and northern Baja California; it also occurs in the high intertidal in spring. Porphyra mumfordii, a high intertidal winter species that has frequently been confused with species in the Pyropia lanceolata complex, has now been confirmed to occur from Calvert Island, British Columbia, to Pescadero State Park, California.
Highlights
The foliose Bangiales are one of the best-studied groups of marine red algae occurring on the west coast of North America
For the most closely related pair, Py. montereyensis and Py. columbiensis, the former has to date only been found south of Cape Mendocino whereas the latter has only been collected from Cape Mendocino north; these species do not appear to overlap in their distributions
In the case of Py. conwayae and Py. fallax, the species overlap in distribution between southern Vancouver Island and southern Oregon. The former pair is more constrained in its distribution, occurring only between southern California and central British Columbia whereas the latter pair extends from central California to at least the westernmost Aleutian Island
Summary
Lanceolata Setchell & Hus in Hus (1900), was erected to accommodate lanceolate forms that were dioecious; this taxon was later raised to specific status in Smith and Hollenberg (1943: 213), who added two more species of Porphyra to the flora. It was Krishnamurthy (1972) who significantly revised the genus in the region and added seven new species, mostly from Washington State. A summary of knowledge at the time was provided by Conway et al (1975), with detailed descriptions of Pacific Northwest species of Porphyra with emphasis on British Columbia and Washington State; their work was updated by Garbary et al (1981)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
