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Abstract
The newest order in Chytridiomycota, Rhizophydiales, shows remarkable genetic divergence and zoospore ultrastructural diversity. From submersed mud from a marsh near an oligotrophic lake in the Patagonia region of Argentina, we isolated a previously undescribed chytrid in Rhizophydiales with unique 28S rRNA and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences and a distinctive zoospore and thallus. In a combined LSU + 5.8S phylogeny of representative taxa in the order, the nearest relative to this new species is Rhizophlyctis harderi, and their zoospores share several similar character states. A new genus is erected for this chytrid, the first to be brought into pure culture from this region.
This study was supported by the National Science Foundation through REVSYS grant DEB-0516173 and MRI grant DEB-0500766. We express our appreciation to the Assembling the Fungal Tree Of Life (AFTOL) Project, Duke University, (NSF DEB-0228668) for access to their database, and to Scott Wakefield for assistance with DNA isolation and sequencing.