New record of codium lucasii (Bryopsidales, chlorophyta) in Korea

Abstract

A prostrate species of Codium (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) was collected from Daejin on the eastern coast of Korea. This alga is morphologically characterized by a prostrate, adherent or pulvinate, dark green thallus that is tightly attached to substratum. The utricles are strongly grouped and cylindrical to slightly clavate. Their apex is rounded to capitated, and it frequently has an alveolate ornament. Hair scars are found in the upper portion of the utricle. The gametangia grow on a short pedicel in the upper part of the utricle. In the phylogenetic tree based on molecular data, this alga is placed in the same clade as C. mozambiquense in UPGMA analysis, and nests in a sister clade of C. lucasii subsp. capense and C. mozambiquense in ML and NJ analyses. However, the genetic distance between the sequences of the Korean alga and the two species is 1.3–1.9%, while that between the Korean alga and C. lucasii from Japan is 1.1% within intraspecific range. The divergence value between the Korean alga and C. lucasii from the type locality (Australia) is 2.7% considered to be interspecific range. As based on this genetic divergence value, the Korean alga together with Japanese C. lucasii can be separated from genuine C. lucasii from the type locality. However, the Korean alga is identified as C. lucasii until those entities are morphologically characterized in species level. This is the first record of C. lucasii in Korea