Fottea X:X | DOI: 10.5507/fot.2025.013

Morphology, taxonomy and epitypification of Eaprasiola yunnanica (C.-C.-Jao) comb. nov. (Prasiolaceae, Trebouxiophyceae) from China using reverse and integrative approaches

Feilong Su1, 2, Yukang Liu1, 2, Qingyu Dai1, 2, Benwen Liu1, Guoxiang Liu1, Huan Zhu1
1 Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
2 College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

The Prasiola-like Prasiolaceae includes some 35 species of monostromatic green algae found in a wide range of habitats, including marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments, across polar, cold, temperate, and subtropical regions. They exhibit considerable phenotypic plasticity, complicating identification based on morphology alone. Here, we used a approach based on full-length 18S rDNA amplicon sequencing to identify Prasiola-like specimens from China. Amplicon sequence variants (ASV) belonging to Prasiolaceae were detected in material collected at W'umonshan, Yunnan Province, China, and living specimens were subsequently collected from the corresponding sampling locations. We here designate a sequenced specimen as epitype as the holotype of Prasiola yunnanica C.-C. Jao is a formaldehyde-fixed specimen that cannot be sequenced. By combining molecular phylogenetics and morphological observations, we provide a comprehensive assessment of three Prasiola-like collections, identified through integrative taxonomy, as Eaprasiola yunnanica (C.-C.-Jao) comb. nov., a species distinct from Eaprasiola japonica (Yatabe) Heesch, Guiry et Rindi from Japan. This finding highlights the effectiveness of the reverse taxonomy approach in detecting rare algae, and emphasizes the importance of integrative methods for achieving a thorough and accurate assessment of algal taxonomy and diversity.

Keywords: Eaprasiola japonica; Environment DNA; Epitype; Integrative taxonomy; Phenotypic plasticity; Prasiola yunnanica; Reverse taxonomy

Received: January 17, 2025; Revised: October 13, 2025; Accepted: October 13, 2025; Prepublished online: March 31, 2026 

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