Revision of the genus Sirodotia Kylin (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta) with description of four new species Author Rossignolo, Natalia L. São Paulo State University, Zoology and Botany Department, Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, 15054 - 000 São José Rio Preto, São Paulo (Brazil) Author Vis, Morgan L. Ohio University, Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, OH (United States) Author Paiano, Monica O. University of Hawaï, School of Life Sciences, Honolulu, HI (United States) Author Eloranta, Pertti Sinkilätie 13, Jyväskylä FI- 40530 (Finland) Author West, John A. School of Biosciences 2, University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010 (Australia) Author Ganesan, E. K. Oceanographic Institute, Universidad de Oriente, Cumaná (Venezuela) Author Yasmin, Farishta Nowgong College, Botany Department, Nagaon, 782001, Assam (India) Author Lim, Phaik-Eem Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), University of Malaya (Malaysia) Author Necchi, Orlando Jr São Paulo State University, Zoology and Botany Department, Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, 15054 - 000 São José Rio Preto, São Paulo (Brazil) o. necchi @ unesp. br (corresponding author) necchi@unesp.br text Cryptogamie, Algologie 2021 2021-06-04 20 8 93 127 http://dx.doi.org/10.5252/cryptogamie-algologie2021v42a8 journal article 247073 10.5252/cryptogamie-algologie2021v42a8 12297c54-d5a9-4834-8ffd-96de1009b1b1 1776-0992 7828571 Sirodotia kennedyi A.L.Szinte, J.C.Taylor & M.L.Vis ( Fig. 6 G-I) Phycologia 194 (2020). S. masoalensis E. Fischer, D. Killmann & D. Quandt, Plant and Fungal Systematics 65: 164 ( Fischer et al . 2020 ). TYPE . — Coll. M . P . Kennedy, 07.VII.2011 (holo-, SANDC [ SANDC 19-566]; iso-, BHO [ BHO A-0946]). TYPE LOCALITY . — Zambia , Mutinondo River, Mutinondo Wilderness, 12°16.101’S , 31°22.869’E . DISTRIBUTION. — Africa: Zambia and Madagascar . REPRESENTATIVE DNA SEQUENCES. — COI-5P ( MT109276 ), rbc L ( MN974518 , MT109266 ). Description Plants dioecious; whorls 115-315 µm in diameter; primary fascicles, 3-5 cells; proximal cells cylindrical or ellipsoidal; distal cells obovoidal or ellipsoidal; secondary fascicles present, covering half to the entire internode; spermatangia spherical, on primary or secondary fascicles, 6-8 µm in diameter; carpogonial branches composed of 3-4 disc- or barrel shaped cells, arising from proximal cells of primary fascicles, short, 16-22 µm in length; carpogonia with sessile, elongate pear-shaped, elongate conical or irregularly shaped trichogynes, 25-40 µm in length, 7-11 µm in diameter; gonimoblast filaments with erect branches of one cell; carposporangia obovoidal or ellipsoidal, 9-10 µm in length, 5-7 µm in diameter. Remarks This species was recently described by Szinte et al. (2020) and it is most closely comparable to S. huillensis based on the reduced whorls (162-364 µm in diameter), shorter carposporangia (8-10 µm in length, respectively) and the occurrence in Africa. Sirodotia kennedyi differs from S. huillensis in number of primary fascicle cells, 3-5 versus 5-9(-10), respectively. In addition, they are genetically divergent. The recently described species S. masoalensis did not differ from S. kennedyi in morphology and DNA sequence and is here proposed as a synonym.