Parviphycus albertanoae sp. nov. (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) from the Mediterranean sea

Parviphycus albertanoae sp. nov. was described from the southern Adriatic Sea, Italy on the basis of morphological and molecular data. The new species formed dense tufts at the upper intertidal level on rocky substrata, exposed to intense wave action. Distinctive morphological characters were compressed upright axes closely arising from short stolons, numerous first-order branches and clavate tetrasporangial sori at main and lateral apices. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cox1 and plastid rbcL sequence data revealed that P. albertanoae was clearly separated from the congeners of the genus, corroborating the morphological distinctness.