Phylogenetic relationships and generic concepts in the red order Bangiales: challenges ahead

Abstract
Over the past decade molecular sequence data and phylogenetic analyses have provided strong evidence that the order Bangiales is monophyletic, but that Porphyra and Bangia as currently understood are not. Previous research on the Bangiales has focused primarily on taxa from the North Pacific and North Atlantic. Recent exploration of Bangiales diversity in other regions, particularly the southern hemisphere, has revealed deep divergences in the order in phylogenetic analyses employing the slowly evolving 18S rRNA gene. The presence of high diversity in New Zealand raises the prospect that the southern hemisphere, and particularly eastern Gondwana, is not only a centre of diversity but a centre of origin for the Bangiales. Although the need for new generic concepts within this order is clear, it is our conclusion that approaches to revising the Bangiales based solely on regional approaches will not succeed: the completion of a modern and robust taxonomic revision of this order requires a global col...

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