One hundred years later, resurrection of Tydemania gardineri A. Gepp & E. Gepp (Udoteaceae, Chlorophyta) based on molecular and morphological data

Abstract

Tydemania Weber-van Bosse is a genus belonging to the family Udoteaceae (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) and currently thought to be monospecific throughout its distribution range in the Indo-Pacific. We tested the assumption that Tydemania is a single species using species delimitation methods, morphological observations and phylogenetic reconstructions of large datasets. Our molecular and morphological data recovered two distinct groups, which we argue are the type species T. expeditionis Weber-van Bosse and T. gardineri A. Gepp & E. Gepp. The latter is currently considered a synonym of the former and we resurrect this name from synonymy. T. gardineri is distinguished morphologically from T. ex..