Reference: Novis et al. 2008: 353–354, Fig 3A–I.
Observations:— Previously, only data for rbc L were available for this species from Mt Philistine. The 18S data presented here show that Pseudococcomyxa simplex from Mt Philistine is a close relative of P. simplex UTEX 274 (Fig. 8). Both of these strains belong to a clade that includes species of Coccomyxa as well as Paradoxia spp. This clade is distinct from a second clade comprising other species of Coccomyxa; clearly this genus is polyphyletic and requires revision. Interestingly, the oblique division plane characteristic of Pseudococcomyxa (Broady 1987, Novis et al. 2008) is also evident in Paradoxia multiseta Svirenko 1928 during vegetative division (Hegewald & Reymond 1987). Some species currently regarded as Coccomyxa, such as C. confluens (Kützing) Fott 1974, appear to share this feature (Ettl & Gärtner 1995), although how it is distributed phylogenetically is presently unclear. It may be a morphological feature that can be used to separate the two clades.