Sirodotia cryptica Necchi, N.L.Rossignolo & M.O.Paiano, sp. nov.

(Fig. 4 F-J)

TYPE. — F. R. Borges, 15.IV.2014, (SJRP [SJRP 32575]).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Brazil, Goiás, Highway GO-070, between the municipalities of Jussara and Itaberaí; 16°00’32.7”S, 48°55’55.9”W .

ADDITIONAL SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — SJRP 31923 and SJRP 31925 (Appendix 1).

ETYMOLOGY. — The species epithet indicates that the alga is cryptic with another species described in this study ( S. amazonica Necchi, N.L.Rossignolo & M.O.Paiano, sp. nov.).

DISTRIBUTION. — South America, Brazil (midwestern).

REPRESENTATIVE DNA SEQUENCES. — COI-5P (KF010488, KF010491, MW053463,), rbc L (KC951865, KC951869, MW053479) and LSU (MW053494, MW053495, MW053498).

Description

Plants monoecious or dioecious; whorls 223-559 µm in diameter; primary fascicles (4-)5-10(-11) cells; proximal cells cylindrical or ellipsoidal; distal cells spherical, ellipsoidal or obovoidal; secondary fascicles abundant, covering the entire internode; spermatangia spherical or obovoidal, 1-3 in a group, few or abundant on primary or secondary fascicles, 6-9 µm in diameter; carpogonial branches composed of 1-4 disc- or barrel shaped cells, arising from periaxial, proximal or median cells of primary fascicles, rarely on the secondary fascicles or cortical filaments, short, 10-25 µm long; carpogonia with sessile, elongate cylindrical (with wavy margins), elongate-conical or fusiform trichogynes, sometimes with anomalous shapes (bent end), (24-)26-58 µm in length, 9-13(-15) µm in diameter; gonimoblast initial developing from the protuberant side of the carpogonium; gonimoblast filaments prostrate with erect branches of 2-5 cells; carposporangia subspherical, ellipsoidal or obovoidal, 10-17 µm in length, (7-)8-11 µm in diameter.

Remarks

This species is morphologically indistinguishable from S. amazonica Necchi, N.L.Rossignolo & M.O.Paiano, sp. nov. that also occurs in Brazil, but is genetically divergence and thus, it is here described as a new species.