Revision of Corallinaceae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta): recognizing Dawsoniolithon gen. nov., Parvicellularium gen. nov. and Chamberlainoideae subfam. nov. containing Chamberlainium gen. nov. and Pneophyllum.

Abstract

A multi-gene (SSU, LSU, psbA, and COI) molecular phylogeny of the family Corallinaceae (excluding the subfamilies Lithophylloideae and Corallinoideae) showed a paraphyletic grouping of six monophyletic clades. Pneophyllum and Spongites were reassessed and recircumscribed using DNA sequence data integrated with morpho-anatomical comparisons of type material and recently collected specimens. We propose Chamberlainoideae subfam. nov., including the type genus Chamberlainium gen. nov., with C.tumidum comb. nov. as the generitype, and Pneophyllum. Chamberlainium is established to include several taxa previously ascribed to Spongites, the generitype of which currently resides in Neogoniolithoideae. Additionally we propose two new genera, Dawsoniolithon gen. nov. (Metagoniolithoideae), with D.conicum comb. nov. as the generitype and Parvicellularium gen. nov. (subfamily incertae sedis), with P.leonardi sp. nov. as the generitype. Chamberlainoideae has no diagnostic morpho-anatomical features that enable one to assign specimens to it without DNA sequence data, and it is the first subfamily to possess both Type 1 (Chamberlainium) and Type 2 (Pneophyllum) tetra/bisporangial conceptacle roof development. Two characters distinguish Chamberlainium from Spongites: tetra/biasporangial conceptacle chamber diameter (<300μm in Chamberlainium vs. >300μm in Spongites) and tetra/bisporangial conceptacle roof thickness (<8 cells in Chamberlainium vs. >8 cells in Spongites). Two characters also distinguish Pneophyllum from Dawsoniolithon: tetra/bisporangial conceptacle roof thickness (<8 cells in Pneophyllum vs. >8 cells in Dawsoniolithon) and thallus construction (dimerous in Pneophyllum vs. monomerous in Dawsoniolithon).