Draisma S. G. A., Sauvage T., Lagourgue L., Kato A., Dumilag R. V., Lim P. E., Zubia M., Payri Claude. (2025). A species diversity assessment of the genus Caulerpa (Bryopsidales) in the Central Indo-Pacific marine realm based on tufA DNA sequences. Phycologia, [Early access], p. [22 p.]. ISSN 0031-8884.
Titre du document
A species diversity assessment of the genus Caulerpa (Bryopsidales) in the Central Indo-Pacific marine realm based on tufA DNA sequences
Année de publication
2025
Auteurs
Draisma S. G. A., Sauvage T., Lagourgue L., Kato A., Dumilag R. V., Lim P. E., Zubia M., Payri Claude
Source
Phycologia, 2025,
[Early access], p. [22 p.] ISSN 0031-8884
The green algal genus Caulerpa is known for high levels of morphological plasticity and cryptic diversity, rendering morphology-based identifications unreliable. The present study assessed the Caulerpa species diversity in the Central Indo-Pacific realm (CIP) using tufA DNA barcodes. A phylogenetic tree was constructed from 700 tufA sequences from the CIP supplemented with sequences from a reference sequence library. Most species were monophyletic, but in a few cases species delimitation was contentious. The subgenera Araucarioideae, Caulerpella, and Charoideae were represented by, respectively, one, four, and four species in the CIP, including cryptic species. The subgenus Caulerpa section Sedoideae was represented by at least nine species, including a dark taxon (a genetically distinct specimen that cannot be linked to a formally described species) resembling C. microphysa. Other specimens, originally identified as C. microphysa, were all assigned to two C. lentillifera subclades that may represent two cryptic species. Subgenus Caulerpa section Caulerpa was represented by at least 27 species, including two dark taxa. Caulerpa macra and C. macrodisca could each represent two distinct species, whereas C. manorensis could not be distinguished from one of the C. macra subclades based on tufA. The tufA barcode is a powerful tool to assist in Caulerpa species identification. However, for some taxa an additional marker is recommended for reliable identification. Based on tufA, we arrived at a conservative count of 45 Caulerpa species within the CIP. New Caulerpa records were reported for several countries.
Plan de classement
Limnologie biologique / Océanographie biologique [034]
Description Géographique
OCEAN INDIEN ; PACIFIQUE
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010095505]
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010095505
