RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Song, Huiyin A1 Hu, Yuxin A1 Zhu, Huan A1 Wang, Qinghua A1 Liu, Guoxiang A1 Hu, ZhengyuYR 2016 T1 Three novel species of coccoid green algae within the Watanabea clade (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) JF International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, VO 66 IS 12 SP 5465 OP 5477 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.001542 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1466-5034, AB Coccoid green algae are extremely diverse despite their simple coccoid phenotype, a phenotype that may be the result of convergent evolution. In this study, we used a polyphasic approach combining molecular phylogenetic analyses, morphology and ultrastructure to investigate isolated coccoid strains from China, and our results reveal three new lineages of Trebouxiophyceae: the novel genus and species Mysteriochloris nanningensis gen. et sp. nov., and the two novel species Phyllosiphon coccidium sp. nov. and Desertella yichangensis sp. nov. (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta). We provide a detailed characterization of the novel microalgae which they are autosporic coccoid unicells and have parietal chloroplasts. In phylogenies based on 18S rDNA sequences and the chloroplast ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase gene (rbcL), these three algae are nested within the Watanabea clade and are different from any known algae. M. nanningensis FACHB-1787 is not really close to any known algae within the Watanabea clade. Phyllosiphoncoccidium FACHB-2212 is within the Phyllosiphon lineages. D. yichangensis FACHB-1793 is closely related to Desertella californica and described as a representative of a novel species of the genus Desertella., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.001542