Endoplura gyeokpoensis sp. nov. and E. limpeticola sp. nov. (Ralfsiales, Phaeophyceae), two new crustose brown algae from Korea

Endoplura gyeokpoensis sp. nov. and E. limpeticola sp. nov. from Korea are described based on molecular and morphological analyses. The crustose brown algal genus Endoplura previously comprised three species: E. aurea, E. jejuensis and E. koreana. Our phylogenetic analyses inferred from rbcL and concatenated rbcL and COI-5P data revealed that E. gyeokpoensis sp. nov. and E. limpeticola sp. nov. are placed in the Endoplura clade with robust bootstrap support and Bayesian posterior probabilities. Endoplura gyeokpoensis is characterized by small crustose thalli, thallus outline with a lighter margin, and 2-4 plurangia terminated by 2-3 sterile cells. Endoplura limpeticola is distinguished by epizoic crustose thalli on limpets, thick thalli up to 751 mu m, thallus outline with a darker margin, multicellular rhizoids, and two plurangia terminated by 2-3 sterile cells. Our study shows that the two new Endoplura species are molecularly and morphologically distinguished from each other as well as from the congeners.