A novel genus Ammassolinea gen. nov. (Cyanobacteria) isolated from sub–tropical epipelic habitats

Abstract

A new monospecific genus of an epipelic, filamentous oscillatorean Phormidium-like cyanobacterium is established. The genus was first discovered from a pond at Fiddlers Ridge Drive, Jacksonville, Florida, USA and subsequently isolated into uni-algal strains. During the process of cultivation, a combination of morphological, ultrastructural and molecular evidence supports the erection of a novel genus. Based on apomorphies which differ from related taxa such as heap-like colony formation, ultrastructural properties and molecular uniqueness, we propose the generic epithet Ammassolinea (sand-dwelling filaments).