Phylogenetic diversity in South African Porphyra (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) determined by nuclear SSU sequence analyses

Specimens of Porphyra were collected at 10 sites along the western, southern and eastern Cape coasts of South Africa during late January to early February 2001. Sequence data from the variable V9 region of the nuclear small subunit rDNA (nSSU) locus were determined for 45 specimens. These data identified 11 distinct entities each with unique V9 sequences. Phylogenetic analyses incorporating sequences of Porphyra and Bangia from throughout the world revealed that eight of the entities examined in this study form a monophyletic group, apparently endemic to the southern African region. The other three entities exhibited no close phylogenetic relationship either with each other or with the other South African taxa. This survey indicates that the southern African coast is a repository of greater taxonomic diversity for this genus than has been previously reported.