The Nostocales is a monophyletic, heterocytous lineage of cyanobacteria capable of akinete production and division in multiple planes, depending upon family-level clade. While present in a variety of ecosystems, the diversity of the Nostocales has been poorly elucidated. Due to environmentally -induced phenotypic plasticity, morphology alone is often insufficient to determine the true phylogenetic placement of these taxa. In order to bridge this gap, taxonomists now employ the polyphasic approach, combining methods such as morphological analysis, phylogenetic analysis based on DNA sequence and genetic identity based on ribosomal genes, and secondary structure of the 16S-23S ITS and 16S rRNA gene sequences, as well as ecological characterization. Using this combined approach, a new genus and species (Reptodigitus chapmanii gen. et sp. nov.) isolated from the St. Johns River (Jacksonville, Florida, USA) within the Nostocales is herein described. Phylogenetic analyses place this taxon within the Hapalosiphonaceae, sister to the clade containing Fischerella, Hapalosiphon, and Westiellopsis. The 16S-23S ITS secondary folding structure analysis also supports the erection of this new genus.

Department of Biology John Carroll University University Heights Ohio 44118 USA

Department of Biology University of North Florida Jacksonville Florida 32224 USA

Department of Botany Faculty of Science Palacký University Olomouc Šlechtitelů 27 Olomouc CZ 783 71 Czech Republic

Department of Botany Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branišovská 1760 CZ 37005 České Budějovice Czech Republic

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Population genomics and morphological data bridge the centuries of cyanobacterial taxonomy along the continuum of Microcoleus species

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