Taxonomic study of a novel terrestrial alga, Spongiosarcinopsis qinghaiensis sp. nov. (Protosiphonaceae, Chlorophyta), from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

There is only one species of Spongiosarcinopsis in the literature currently. It was found in gray soil in Russia for the first time. According to molecular data analysis results, the isolated algal strain is most closely related to Spongiosarcinopsis terrestris. Unlike Spongiosarcinopsis terrestris, the isolated strain was found on soil surfaces at high altitudes, the young vegetative cell is spherical, vegetative cells are relatively large, and pyrenoids are generally fewer. In view of such morphological differences, phylogenetic analysis results, and comparison of ITS2 secondary structure and ultrastructure, the strain isolated in the present study was proposed to be a novel species.