Fine structure and systematics of Prymnesium radiatum sp. nov. (Prymnesiophyceae) from False Bay and Franskraal, South Africa

Summary

A novel colonial prymnesiophyte from the inshore waters of South Africa, which is reminiscent of the genus Corymbellus, is described at light and electron microscope levels. It differs from the only species of this genus, Corymbellus aureus, in scale structure, cell shape and colony morphology and has a complement of unusual morphological features that link it most with members of the Prymnesiales. Phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear-encoded SSU and LSU ribosomal DNA sequences indicate that this organism is closely related to members of the genus Prymnesium sensu lato and it is thus considered as a novel species, here named P. radiatum. The closest relative to P. radiatum in the SSU rDNA phylogenetic tree was Prymnesium neolepis (formerly Hyalolithus neolepis). The reconfiguration of the cytoskeleton during cell division in this organism is also novel, with a progressive elaboration of existing elements, rather than the massive reorganization expected in the prymnesiophytes.