Dione arcuata, commonly known as eyelash seaweed, is the only species of the red algae genus Dione. The specific name arcuata comes from Latin and refers to the bow-like curved shape of the algae,[2] while the generic name Dione is another name for the goddess Venus. It is made of filaments that are around 1.5 centimeters long; they are curved, wide, and do not split into branches.[3]
| Dione arcuata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Clade: | Archaeplastida |
| Division: | Rhodophyta |
| Class: | Bangiophyceae |
| Order: | Bangiales |
| Family: | Bangiaceae |
| Genus: | Dione W.A.Nelson |
| Species: | D. arcuata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dione arcuata W.A.Nelson
| |
Taxonomy
editThe first collection of the algae was made in 2000, and it was marked as a potential new species.[4] Eyelash seaweed was first analyzed in a 2004 study on the genus Bangia. It was initially called "Bangia sp. BKE" and its genetic dissimilarity to other species in Bangia was noted.[5] Dione arcuata was first formally described by Wendy Nelson in 2005, along with the related alga Minerva aenigmata. Nelson split both species from Bangia based on morphological, habitat, and genetic differences.[6]
Ecology
editEyelash seaweed is endemic to New Zealand and can be found attached to rocks in shady tidal areas. The species has a highly restricted range, with only two known populations on two large boulders at one point of the eastern shore of the South Island. D. arcuata is difficult to find, as it is the sole member of Bangiales in New Zealand that is only exposed at extremely low water levels. Furthermore, it has only been seen during the summer, in November and December.[3] The discovery of D. arcuata and M. aenigmata is indicative of the high density of algal biodiversity at certain New Zealand sites, and of the variability of biodiversity across different locations.[7]
In 2019, Dione arcuata was assessed by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as threatened and Nationally Critical.[8] There is a high likelihood that eyelash seaweed is now extinct. The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake buried one of the boulders that the algae inhabited, and greatly disrupted the other. The species has not been found in the wild since the earthquake.[9]
References
editFootnotes
edit- ^ "Dione arcuata". New Zealand Threat Classification System. Department of Conservation. 2019. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M (16 December 2013). "Dione arcuata W.A.Nelson". AlgaeBase. National University of Ireland, Galway. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ a b Nelson, Farr & Broom 2005, p. 143.
- ^ "Factsheet: Dione arcuata W.A.Nelson" (PDF). New Zealand Endangered Species Foundation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 February 2024.
- ^ Broom, Farr & Nelson 2004, p. 1200.
- ^ Nelson, Farr & Broom 2005, p. 141.
- ^ "Seaweed secrets reveal a biodiversity hotspot". NIWA. 1 June 2007. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Nelson, Wendy; Neill, Kate; D'Archino, Roberta; Rolfe, Jeremy (2019). Conservation status of New Zealand macroalgae (PDF) (30th ed.). New Zealand: Department of Conservation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Harvie, Will (13 October 2019). "Not enough known about Kiwi seaweeds". Stuff. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
Bibliography
edit- Broom, Judy; Farr, Tracy; Nelson, Wendy (2004). "Phylogeny of the Bangia flora of New Zealand suggests a southern origin for Porphyra and Bangia (Bangiales, Rhodophyta)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 31 (3): 1197–1307. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.10.015. PMID 15120409.
- Nelson, Wendy; Farr, Tracy; Broom, Judy (2005). "Dione and Minerva, two new genera from New Zealand circumscribed for basal taxa in the Bangiales (Rhodophyta)". Abingdon. 44 (2). ProQuest 198615392 – via ProQuest.
External links
edit- Dione arcuata discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week, 29 June 2018
- The marine domain - A Biodiversity in Aotearoa factsheet