Abstract
SUMMARYMicroalgae of the genusWatanabeaare widely distributed as free living in soil/subaerial and aquatic habitats. In this study, twoWatanabeaspp. were isolated from lichen thalli ofBuellia zoharyicollected on biocrusts in the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands. To ascertain their taxonomic position and phylogenetic relationships within the genusWatanabea, morphological observations were performed using light and confocal microscopy, combined with molecular analyses based on the phylogeny of small subunit ribosomal region (SSU) and internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) genes and the ITS2 secondary structure. One isolate matchesWatanabea acidophila, and the other, which has not been previously reported, is described here asWatanabea lichenicolasp. nov. Both molecular phylogenetic analyses (SSUandITS) suggest the division of theWatanabeaspp. into two well‐supported clades:Watanabeagroup I andWatanabeagroup II, to whichW. lichenicolaandW. acidophilabelong, respectively. Furthermore, an exclusive side loop in helix 3 of the ITS2 secondary structure ofWatanabeagroup II reinforces the use of this analysis as a molecular hallmark for this genus. The integrative approaches carried out in this study suggest lichen thalli as a new ecological niche for this genus, either as associated (not primary symbiont), epiphyte and/or endophyte microalgae inBuellia zoharyiholobionts.
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