Lessonia meridionalis, ZuccareLLo & School, 2024

ZuccareLLo, Giuseppe C. & School, Roberta D’Archino, 2024, Three new species of Lessonia Bory (Lessoniaceae, Phaeophyceae) from New Zealand: L. media sp. nov., L. meridionalis sp. nov. and L. septentrionalis sp. nov., Notulae Algarum 311, pp. 1-13 : 3

Lessonia meridionalis sp. nov. ZuccareLLo & D’Archino ( Fig. 3 c )

Description: Attached by variabLe to massive rigid/robust haptera and muLtipLe stipes; with bLades emanating from the intercaLary meristem. BLades spLit ontogeneticaLLy. BLades paraLLeL; various widths, usuaLLy without wideLy spaced teeth; distinguished from L. variegata by bLade edges of a Lighter goLden coLour ( Fig. 5 c, f, g ). Reproduction as in L. variegata in sori on bLades. Distinguished from other species by the genetic regions: MitochondriaL: (1) the spacer between the tRNA’s for tryptophan and isoLeucine (trn W-spacer), a partiaL sequence of the gene coding for nicotinamide adenine dinucLeotide (NADH) dehydrogenase subunit 6 (nad6); (2) partiaL cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 3) the spacer region between adenosine tri-phosphate dehydrogenase subunit 8 and tRNA serine (atp8-Sp); the chLoropLast regions: (1) the spacer between the Large and smaLL subunit of the ribuLose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxyLase/oxygenase gene (rbc -spacer); (2) ribuLose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxyLase/oxygenase Large subunit gene (rbc L); the nucLear region covering the internaL transcribed spacers (1 and 2) between the smaLL and Large ribosomaL RNA subunits, and incLuding the 5.8S ribosomaL RNA (ITS) ( Martin & ZuccareLLo 2012, ZuccareLLo & Martin 2016).

EtymoLogy: Named for its southern geographic distribution on the South IsLand and Stewart IsLand/Rakiura of New ZeaLand

HoLotype: WELT A035567

Phycobank registration: http://phycobank.org/104241

Type LocaLity: Native IsLand, Stewart IsLand/Rakiura, New ZeaLand (46.916 3667 oS, 168.159 4833 oE)

HoLotype sequence data: rbc L: OR978108; COI: OR978114 ; trn W-L spacer: OR978119.

Figures

Fig. 3. Type specimens of the four species of Lessonia on the main isLands of New ZeaLand. 3a. Lectotype (designated here) of Lessonia variegata, Lund J.Agardh (LD 2164). 3b. HoLotype of Lessonia media (WELT A035569). 3c. HoLotype of Lessonia meridionalis (WELT A035567). 3d. HoLotype of Lessonia septentrionalis (WELT A035572).

Fig. 5. In situ images of Lessonia meridionalis, showing the Lighter coLoured edges (e.g. Fig 5c, g) of the bLades that seem to be typicaL of this species.