An emended description of the genus Fogedia (Bacillariophyceae) with reports of four species new to science from a Korean sand flat

Abstract

Park J., Khim J.S., Ryu J., Koh C.-H. and Witkowski A. 2013. An emended description of the genus Fogedia (Bacillariophyceae) with reports of four species new to science from a Korean sand flat. Phycologia 52: 437–446. DOI: 10.2216/12–120.1

A taxonomic investigation of the microphytobenthos from the lower intertidal zone of a Korean sandflat revealed unprecedented dominance and diversity of the marine diatom genus Fogedia. Four new species are described: Fogedia coreana sp. nov., F. densa sp. nov., F. elliptica sp. nov., and F. lyra sp. nov. A great abundance of Fogedia species in the study area provided a unique opportunity to observe the frustule ultrastructure and cell contents. The first reported observation of the presence of two girdle-appressed plastids each with a single rod-like pyrenoid was made in species of Fogedia, indicating its close relationship to Navicula sensu stricto and Hippodonta. Ultrastructural characteristics (e.g. hymenate areola occlusions) of Fogedia also support such a relationship. Meanwhile the genus Fogedia differs from Navicula sensu stricto with respect to the raphe system and differs from Hippodonta with respect to the girdle bands and apical striae. The present study increased the overall worldwide number of the taxa of Fogedia to 13. An emended generic description of Fogedia is provided along with the biogeographic information of the species belonging to the genus.

Key Words::

• Distribution
• Diversity
• Fogedia
• Korea
• New species
• Plastid
• Pyrenoid
• Saemangeum
• Sand flat
• Ultrastructure

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea Grant (KRF-2006-612-C00040 & NRF-2013R1A1A2A10011073) and by Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (N306 468538). The authors are grateful to Prof. David G. Mann for his advice regarding the cytological characteristics of the genus Fogedia, to Dr Ohtsuka for his kind help in taking SEM photos, to Manfred Ruppel for SEM operation, and to anonymous reviewers and editorial staffs for their valuable suggestions and comments.

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Supplementary data associated with this article can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/10.2216/12-120.1.s1.