New Distribution and DNA Barcoding of the Endangered Alga Lamprothamnium succinctum (Charales, Charophyceae) in Tottori Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

Lamprothamnium succinctum (Charales, Charophyceae) is a brackish-water algal species listed as endangered in Japan. In this study, L. succinctum was found in Tsubasa-ike pond, a shallow lake in Yonago Waterbird Sanctuary, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. This marks the first documented occurrence of the species in Tottori Prefecture and represents its sole known natural habitat on the Sea of Japan side of the country. Genetic analyses using two DNA barcoding regions (the chloroplast rbcL gene and the intergenic spacer regions between atpB and rbcL genes) revealed that the DNA sequences of L. succinctum specimens from Tsubasa-ike pond were identical to those of several other Japanese specimens.