Integrative taxonomic description of two new species of the Cocconeis placentula group (Bacillariophyceae) from Korea based on unialgal strains

Abstract

Cocconeis coreana and C. sijunghoensis are described as new based on micromorphological and molecular data. C. coreana is represented by five unialgal cultures from four different freshwater bodies, two from North Korea and three from South Korea. C. sijunghoensis is represented by two unialgal cultures from a brackish water body in North Korea. Except for one, all of the strains auxosporulated and showed an almost quadrupling of size in length and width. Morphologically, these species with their two different elliptical valves belong to the Cocconeis placentula group. The raphe valve has striae with uniseriate areolae continuing across a pronounced submarginal hyaline rim to the edge of the valve. The sternum valve has uniseriate dash-like areolae continuously from the valve face until the valve edge. Micromorphologically, these species possess two different open valvocopulae: only the raphe valvocopula has fimbriae; the sternum valvocopula has none. Based on p-distances of currently available DNA sequence data, i.e., rbcL and 18SV4, both species are pronouncedly different from the epitype strain of C. placentula, with C. coreana closest to the published molecular data of the strain UTEX FD23 named C. placentula from Iowa, USA, while C. sijunghoensis is closest but not the same as the published molecular data of strain D36_012, the epitype strain of C. placentula from Berlin, Germany. Based on scanning electron microscope observations, differentiating features are discussed concerning valvocopula fimbriae, central area, areolation of the sternum valve and on the raphe valve especially between the submarginal hyaline rim and edge.