Tolypella mongolica (Charophyceae, Characeae): A new dioecious charophyte species from the center of Eurasia and implications for charophyte taxonomy, including the validation of T. porteri and the new combination for T. jwalae

A new dioecious species of Tolypella, T. mongolica sp. nov. from the section Tolypella, was described using an integrative taxonomy. It was found in three distant localities - shallows of a brackish small lake and a channel in the midland steppe in Mongolia and the Altai Mountains, and a small brackish water body in the dry steppe in Southeast Europe. It differs from other species in rbcL and ITS sequences and in distinct complex ornamentation of the oospore surface, varying from sparsely coarsely tuberculate to having the appearance of an aerial view of mountain landscape with acute to mostly sharp edges of elements at probably the ripest stage. Wide intrapopulation variability of expression of this trait, only partly explainable by oospore ripening stage, was found and illustrated for two populations, indicating previous underestimation of this phenomenon in taxonomic research. T. mongolica is richly fertile and appears to be ephemeral as most species of this genus. Only female plants were found in all localities. The absence of male plants could be referred to either their earlier development during the growing season or, less likely, parthenogenesis in this species. The description of the new species suggests taxonomic changes for two dioecious species of charophytes. Tolypella porteri stat. et comb. nov. was validated here. T. jwalae was recognized as a species of Nitella, N. jwalae comb. nov.