Four novel <i>Gelidium</i> species (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) discovered in Korea: <i>G. coreanum</i>, <i>G. jejuensis</i>, <i>G. minimum</i> and <i>G. prostratum</i>

Abstract

Kim K.M., Hwang I.K., Yoon H.S. and Boo S.M. 2012. Four novel Gelidium species (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) isolated from Korea: G. coreanum, G. jejuensis, G. minimum and G. prostratum. Phycologia 51: 461–474. DOI: 10.2216/11-117.1Gelidium is an economically and ecologically important red algal genus that comprises 123 species. It is distributed globally in temperate and tropical waters, and many of the species have been reported from northeast Asia. Here we describe four novel Gelidium species from Korea: G. coreanum sp. nov. from the eastern and southern coasts, G. jejuensis sp. nov. and G. minimum sp. nov. from Jeju Island, and G. prostratum sp. nov. from the western coast. The species were identified by molecular phylogenies of plastid rbcL and mitochondrial cox1, which were combined with distinct morphological features. Three of these new species (G. coreanum, G. jejuensis and G. prostratum) formed a monophyletic clade with G. eucorneum, G. vagum, G. chilense and G. japonicum, while G. minimum showed a sister group relationship with G. pristoides, G. foliaceum, G. microdontium and G. vittatum.