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Description of a new dinoflagellate with a diatom endosymbiont, Durinskia capensis sp. nov. (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae) from South Africa

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Abstract

A new dinoflagellate Durinskia capensis Pienaar, Sakai et Horiguchi sp. nov. (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae), from tidal pools along the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, Republic of South Africa, is described. The dinoflagellate produces characteristic dense orange–red colored blooms in tidal pools. The organism is characterized by having a eukaryotic endosymbiotic alga. Ultrastructure study revealed the organism has a cellular construction similar to that of other diatom-harboring dinoflagellates. The cell is thecate and the plate formula is: Po, x, 4′, 2a, 6″, 5c, 4s, 5″′, 2″″, which is the same as that of Durinskia baltica, the type species of the genus Durinskia. D. capensis can, however, be distinguished from D. baltica by overall cell shape, the relative size of the 1a and 2a plates, the degree of cingular displacement, and the shape of the eyespot. Our molecular analysis based on SSU rDNA revealed that D. capensis is closely allied to D. baltica, thus supporting the assignment of this new species to this genus. This Durinskia clade takes a sister position to another diatom-harboring dinoflagellate clade, which includes Kryptoperidinium foliaceum and Galeidinium rugatum. Molecular analysis based on the rbcL gene sequence and ultrastructure study revealed that the endosymbiont of D. capensis is a diatom. The SSU rDNA gene trees indicated that four species with a diatom endosymbiont formed a clade, suggesting a single endosymbiotic origin.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr Stuart D. Sym for checking Latin diagnosis. RNP acknowledges financial assistance from the National Research Foundation. This work was partly supported by the twenty-first century Center of Excellence (COE) Program on “Neo-Science of Natural History” (Program Leader: Hisatake Okada) at Hokkaido University financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. The work was also financed by the Grant-in-Aid (12NP0102, 16370039) from the MEXT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg, WITS 2050, South Africa

    Richard N. Pienaar

  2. Division of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, North 10. West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan

    Hiroto Sakai & Takeo Horiguchi

Authors
  1. Richard N. Pienaar
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  2. Hiroto Sakai
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  3. Takeo Horiguchi
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Correspondence to Takeo Horiguchi.

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Pienaar, R.N., Sakai, H. & Horiguchi, T. Description of a new dinoflagellate with a diatom endosymbiont, Durinskia capensis sp. nov. (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae) from South Africa. J Plant Res 120, 247–258 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-006-0047-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-006-0047-y

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