Phylogenetic affinities of the form taxon Chantransia pygmaea (Rhodophyta) specimens from the Hawaiian Islands

Eleven specimens attributable to the form taxon Chantransia pygmaea were collected from locations on the four main islands in Hawaii to assess their phylogenetic affinities. Partial rbcL sequence data were used to examine the relationship of these specimens to members of the Batrachospermales and Thoreales. Morphometric data from all specimens and mitochondrial cox2–3 spacer region data from specimens from three localities were used to determine variation within this form taxon. Three closely related haplotypes represented by nine specimens were recovered from locations on Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii. These haplotypes were sister to gametophytes of the batrachospermalean taxon Batrachospermum arcuatum from various locations worldwide. The two specimens from Maui were identical in sequence to each other and to a GenBank accession of Nemalionopsis tortuosa in the Thoreales. Morphometic analyses showed variation in measurements among specimens, but no clear pattern to distinguish C. pygmaea specimens ass...