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To address the taxonomic uncertainty of Sporolithon species named in the early to mid-20th century, targeted PCR sequencing was performed on eight historical type specimens and on recently collected specimens. Six type specimens amplified for the rbcL gene and were Sanger sequenced yielding sequences ranging in length from 118 to 280 base pairs (bp). One, S. australasicum, failed to amplify and another, S. howei, was amplified for the psbA gene yielding a sequence 544 bp in length. The 118 bp long rbcL sequence of the lectotype of S. crassiramosum showed that it is a later, heterotypic synonym of S. molle. The rbcL sequences of type specimens of S. episoredion, S. schmidtii, S. sibogae and S. timorense ranged from 118 to 228 bp, and each is a distinct species. The 544 bp long psbA sequence of S. howei is also unique. The 280 bp long rbcL sequence of the lectotype of S. durum did not match any sequence with that name in any public repository, including the previously published complete plastome and mitogenome sequences. However, it was identical in sequence to a specimen in GenBank from the southern coast of Western Australia as well as several other sequences generated from field-collected specimens from the states of South Australia and Western Australia. The rhodolith specimens from New Zealand previously called S. durum are S. nodosum sp. nov. The species is endemic to New Zealand. The epilithic specimens from New Zealand previously called S. durum are S. immotum sp. nov., which is also found along the southeastern coast of Australia. Sporolithon crypticum sp. nov. is described from the southern coast of Western Australia. RAxML and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of Sporolithon psbA and rbcL sequences are congruent between the two plastid encoded genes. DNA sequencing of type specimens of species of corallines is demonstrated to be the only reliable method to correctly apply names. 

ABSTRACT Here, we present the chloroplast genome sequence of Quercus agrifolia Née, the California live oak, an ecologically important oak species along the coast of California. The genome is 161,283 bp in length, encodes 132 genes, and has a high level of gene synteny to other Fagaceae. 

ABSTRACT We present the complete chloroplast genome of the eelgrassZostera pacificafrom Monterey, California. The genome is circular and 144,675  bp in length. It consists of 82 protein-coding, 31 transfer RNA, and 8 ribosomal RNA genes and is 99.44%–99.42% similar in nucleotide pairwise identity to the closely related speciesZostera marina. 

We present the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Rhodochorton tenue from San Juan Island, Washington. The chloroplast genome of R. tenue is 192,037 bp in length, contains 244 genes, and is similar in content to Acrochaetium secundatum. Rhodochorton tenue is genetically distinct from Rhodochorton purpureum from the North Atlantic Ocean. 

Nongeniculate coralline algae are difficult to identify based solely on morpho-anatomy. To address the systematics of several taxonomically challenging taxa, we analyzed DNA sequences of a short portion (118–296 base pairs) of the 3′ end of the rbcL gene from three type specimens. The analyses revealed that Harveylithon munitum (basionym: Lithophyllum munitum), described in 1906 from Cave Cays, Exuma Chain, Bahamas, is conspecific with both Goniolithon accretum and Goniolithon affine, described in 1906 from Sand Key, Florida and in 1907 from Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, respectively. Lithophyllum munitum and G. accretum were described in the same 1906 publication and have equal priority. We have selected the currently accepted and most commonly used name H. munitum to apply to this entity. Comparative analyses of rbcL, psbA, UPA, COI, and LSU sequences from contemporary field-collected specimens revealed that H. munitum currently inhabits mesophotic rhodolith beds in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the intertidal zone in the Florida Keys, Honduras, Atlantic Mexico, Caribbean Panama, and Guadeloupe, French West Indies. Species delimitation analyses reveal that the Western Atlantic and Australian H. munitum populations may be separate species. Two new species of Harveylithon from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and one new species from the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Red Sea were also identified in the analyses and are described. 

ABSTRACT Here, we present the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Toxicodendron diversilobum , western poison oak, from Pacific Grove, California. The genome is 159,543 bp in length, contains 133 genes, and has a high level of gene synteny to other species of Toxicodendron . 

ABSTRACT We present the complete mitochondrial genome ofCarausius morosusfrom Salinas, CA. The mitochondrial genome ofC. morosusis circular, AT rich (78.1%), and 16,671 bp in length. It consists of 13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNA, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes and is identical in gene content toCarausiussp. 

ABSTRACT We present the complete chloroplast genome sequence of an endophytic Ostreobium sp. isolated from a 19th-century coralline red algal specimen from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The chloroplast genome is 84,848 bp in length, contains 114 genes, and has a high level of gene synteny to other Ostreobiaceae.