Proposal of Phycocalidia Santiañez & M.J.Wynne nom. nov. to replace Calidia L.-E.Yang & J.Brodie nom. illeg. (Bangiales, Rhodophyta)

Abstract

In their most recent study on the economically important and speciose genus Pyropia J.Agardh, Yang et al. (2020) made considerable changes in the taxonomy and classification of the group by redefining Pyropia, describing four new genera (viz, Calidia L.-E.Yang & J.Brodie, Neoporphyra J.Brodie & L.-E.Yang, Neopyropia J.Brodie & L.-E.Yang, and Uedaea J.Brodie & L.-E.Yang), and taxonomically reinstating Porphyrella G.M.Smith & Hollenberg with an emended description. The genus Calidia was described using both morphological and molecular characters, based on the new species Calidia pseudolobata L.-E.Yang, J.Brodie & Q.-Q.Lu (Yang et al. 2020). Unfortunately, that genus name is illegitimate, being a later homonym of Calidia J.Stirton in King et al. (1876), a genus of lichens that is presently considered to be a later taxonomic synonym of Byssoloma Trevisan, 1853 (James, 1971). We here propose a new genus name to replace the red algal genus Calidia L.-E.Yang & J.Brodie, as well as transfer species that had been assigned to this segregate genus.