Calcification traits for cryptic species identification: Insights into coralline biomineralization.

ABSTRACT: Calcareous red algae are foundation species and ecosystem engineers with a global distribution. The principles governing their calcification pathways are still debated and the morphological characters are frequently unreliable for species segregation, as shown by molecular genetics. The recent description of the new species Lithophyllum pseudoracemus, previously undetected and morphologically confused with Lithophyllum racemus, offered a challenging opportunity to test the effectiveness of microanatomy and ultrastructural calcification traits as tools for the identification of these two species, for integrative taxonomy. High resolution SEM images of molecularly identified samples showed that the different size of the perithallial cells and the features of the asexual conceptacle chambers

SUBMITTER: Basso D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9529143 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature