Morphological and preliminary molecular data on freshwater red algae in Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam

Abstract

Rhodophyta is one of the oldest and largest groups of algae and is dominated by marine species, while freshwater species are relatively scarce. Although the diversity and distribution of rhodophytes in freshwater plants have been studied worldwide, there are few published records of freshwater red algae in Vietnam. Therefore, this study aimed to preliminarily investigate the morphology and analyze the phylogeny of freshwater red algae in Vietnam. This report provides information about red algal specimens collected in July 2018 and 2022 in the Tam Dao National Park watershed forests. Morphological analysis of the specimens revealed similar characteristics to those of Batrachospermum; however, phylogenetic analysis of the Tam Dao specimens and Batrachospermum placed them into different clades. Data relating to both morphological and molecular characteristics suggest that Tam Dao specimens may represent a new clade within Batrachospermaceae.