Letter to the Editor regarding "Long-read genome sequencing provides novel insights into the harmful algal bloom species Prymnesium parvum" by Jian et al. (2024)

Abstract

Jian et al. (2024) describe de novo genome assemblies for two strains of Prymnesium parvum (sensu lato, s.l.), a cryptic species complex of toxic, unicellular algae responsible for harmful algal blooms around the world. Here, we present evidence that the labels for UTEX 2797 and CCMP 3037 were inadvertently swapped by Jian et al. (2024). This resulted in sequence data labeled "UTEX 2797" but derived from strain CCMP 3037, and vice versa. Strain misidentification is a major risk with cryptic species like P. parvum s.l., and our reanalysis of the data in Jian et al. (2024) underscores the urgent need for clade-specific markers to ensure accurate and efficient strain identification.