Abstract:
By combining morphological observation with molecular analysis,
Grateloupia fastigiata Li et Ding was re-examined. The results showed that:① thallus was dark purplish red, 9-26 cm high, percurrent axes terete basally, dichotomously branched once or twice, cortex sections were 85-160 m thick consisting of 8-11 layers of cells; the auxi-liary cell ampullae exhibited typical
Grateloupia-type, carpogonial branch ampullae consisted of six cells, auxiliary cell ampullae consisted of five cells (6cpb-5auxb type), identical with
G. asiatica Kawaguchi et Wang. ② According to the phylogenetic tree constructed by gene (
rbcL) sequences, there was no sequence divergence between the ten samples of
G. fastigiata examined in this research and
G. asiatica from Qingdao, which formed a single monophyletic subclade within the large
Grateloupia clade of Halymeniaceae, the
rbcL sequences differences between it and
G. asiatica from Dalian was 1 bp (0.08%), the rbcL sequences differences between it and
G. asiatica from Japan and South Korea was 2 bp (0.16%) and 3 bp (0.24%), belonging to intraspecific difference, the rbcL sequences differences between it and other species within the
Grateloupia clade I was 18 (1.47%)-76 bp (6.19%), belonging to interspecific difference. Through morphological observations and molecular analysis,
G. fastigiata and
G. asiatica proved to be the same species, with
G. fastigiata as the synonym of
G. asiatica.