Nodosilinea hunanesis sp. nov. (Prochlorotrichaceae, Synechococcales) from a Freshwater Pond in China Based on a Polyphasic Approach

Abstract

A cyanobacterial strain (ZJJ01), morphologically identified as a Leptolyngbya-like species was isolated from a freshwater pond in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China, and it was characterized through a polyphasic study based on morphological, ecological, and molecular data. Morphologically, the strain fits the description of Leptolyngbya well, but under further examination, it formed a distinctive structure, namely nodules, which confirmed that it belonged to the genus of Nodosilinea. The 16S rRNA gene threshold value and 16S rRNA phylogenetic analyses clearly confirmed that the studied strain belongs to the genus Nodosilinea but that it is phylogenetically distinct from the 10 other species of Nodosilinea. Furthermore, The D1–D1’ and Box–B helix of the 16S–23S ITS region of the strain ZJJ01 were also different from those of previously described Nodosilinea species. On the basis of this polyphasic approach, here, we provide a description of the new taxon: Nodosilinea hunanesis sp. nov.