Description of a New Species of the Genus <i>Cryptomonas</i> (Cryptophyceae: Cryptomonadales), Isolated from Soils in a Tropical Forest

Abstract

A new species, Cryptomonas tropica sp. nov., is described from Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam) based on morphological and molecular data. Strains of the new species were isolated from soil, which is an unusual environment for photosynthetic cryptomonads. This species has elliptical cells in ventral view and a single plastid notched into several irregular lobes without microscopically visible pyrenoids. Phylogenetic relationships inferred from nuclear-encoded SSU, LSU, ITS2 rDNA and psbA cpDNA show that the new species forms an independent branch on the phylogenetic tree of the genus Cryptomonas. In all phylogenetic analyses, this lineage was sister to clades containing other small-celled, pyrenoid-less species: Cryptomonas erosa, C. parmana, C. macilenta, C. obovoidea and C. commutata. C. tropica has been observed in two distant localities in Cat Tien National Park.

Keywords

• <i>Cryptomonas tropica</i>
• new species
• nuclear SSU rDNA LSU and ITS2 rDNA markers
• plastid <i>psb</i>A
• Vietnam