Volume 57, Issue 4

The names Codium schmiederi and Codium dawsonii are validated by the provision of designated types. The species to which the invalidly published name C. schmiederi applies is known only from Isla Guadalupe and Rocas Alijos, Baja California, Mexico. The history of phycological exploration of these two remote localities is detailed. The species to which the invalidly published name C. dawsonii applies is found in those two localities as well as on coastal islands of Baja California and southern California. It is seldom found on the mainland. Codium hubbsii , originally described from Islas San Benito, has a distribution similar to that of C. dawsonii , but occurs more often on the mainland. The distributions of these three species constitute a pattern of insular endemism.

The biogeographic area between Cape Mendocino, California and Cape Blanco, Oregon in the USA spans over 320 km and is characterized by prominent coastal headlands. This study was a first attempt to produce a current intertidal macroalgal and seagrass species list for this understudied region with basic habitat attributes included. A total of 164 species of marine macroalgae (105 species within 16 orders in Rhodophyta, 32 species within six orders in Heterokontophyta, Phaeophyceae, and 27 species in six orders in Chlorophyta) and two species of seagrasses (Anthophyta) were identified. The optimal habitat for most species was the rocky intertidal in the mid zone (>50%), while some species were specialists in either tidepool and/or sandy habitats (∼20%). Furthermore, based on Akaike Information Criterion, our top ranking model suggests that species richness is dependent on zonation, functional grouping and site location. Based on the seven functional group classification, the leathery macrophytes and crusts were the most prevalent at the two capes exposed to higher wave action and upwelling. One near-endemic species ( Cumathamnion sympodophyllum ), one invasive species ( Sargassum muticum ), and seven new records for the region were identified.

On the basis of comparative morphological and molecular analyses, a new red algal species in the genus Wrangelia (Wrangeliaceae, Ceramiales) is described from the tropical western Atlantic. Distinctive characteristics of the proposed new species, W. gordoniae , include: overall habit; built up pseudoparenchymatous cortex that is composed of 2, and in localized sites up to 3, layers of cortical cells, with the outermost layer incomplete, composed of smaller, irregular-shaped cells; and spermatangial heads with 5–6 (–7) involucres, each consisting of a single elongate cell. Analyses of SSU sequences of specimens of Wrangelia from Puerto Rico further support the presence of four genetically distinct entities. In addition to numerous recent collections, a number of herbarium specimens from different Caribbean locales previously identified as “ W. penicillata ” are now recognized to be W. gordoniae . The new species is compared morphologically with other Wrangelia species that also have 5 whorl branchlets per segment and a cortex that partially or wholly covers their axes. A key to the tropical western Atlantic species of Wrangelia is provided.

The genus Polysiphonia Greville is characterized by having four ecorticated pericentral cells, rhizoids in open connection with the pericentral cells, four-celled carpogonial branches, spermatangial branches replacing the whole trichoblast, and tetrasporangia in straight series. Polysiphonia dokdoensis sp. nov. collected from Dokdo, Korea is here described as a new species on the basis of morphological and molecular data. Polysiphonia dokdoensis is characterized by having four ecorticated pericentral cells, unicellular rhizoids in open connection with pericentral cells, scar cells placed between two pericentral cells, an alternating arrangement of unilateral branch pairs, and tetrasporangia in straight series. The alternating arrangement of unilateral branch pairs and the placement of the scar cell between two pericentral cells are recognized as main characters to identify P. dokdoensis . Polysiphonia dokdoensis is morphologically identical to “ P. atlantica ” sensu Kim and Lee, which is now recognized as P. dokdoensis sp. nov. and distinguished from the authentic European P. atlantica by the distinguishing morphological character states. Phylogenetic analyses of rbc L confirm the placement of the new taxon as a distinct species in Polysiphonia sensu stricto .

The photoadaptive responses of macroalgal communities to abiotic stresses have been studied, and a number of UV-absorbing molecules have been identified. Among these compounds, photoprotective compounds such as mycosporine-like amino acids and carotenoids have been isolated from various red macroalgal species. However, several substances still need to be characterized. We describe the preparation of photoprotective extracts obtained from Solieria chordalis . Two solvents, 2-octyl dodecanol and octyldodecyl ester of l -pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, were selected based on their cosmetic functions for performing an ultrasound-assisted extraction. The efficiency of extraction was monitored by spectrophotometry and in vitro photoprotective activity measurements. 2-Octyl dodecanol and octyldodecyl ester of l -pyrrolidone carboxylic acid extracts showed maximum absorption wavelengths ranging from 280 to 340 nm and 270 to 350 nm, respectively. The anti UV-B capacity for protecting a synthetic chlorophyll solution was assessed by measuring its pseudo first-order degradation kinetics at room temperature. Under irradiation at 312 nm, chlorophyll introduced in the 2-octyl dodecanol S. chordalis extract showed the slowest degradation kinetics with a half-life t 1/2 of 121.0 min. Several compounds were detected in the seaweed extract by high-performance liquid chromatography. Among them, the mycosporine-like amino acid, palythenic acid, was detected in the algal extract.

Pyrodinium bahamense is a meroplanktonic dinoflagellate that produces paralytic shellfish toxins that cause human poisoning along tropical and subtropical coasts. Cyst morphology, germination characteristics, and toxicity were investigated using samples from Isla San José in the Gulf of California. Morphology was observed through light and scanning electron microscopy. Germination was tested at different temperature (15°C–35°C) and salinity (15–35) conditions in different culture media (natural seawater, GSe, and f/2). To elucidate toxicity of vegetative cells grown from cyst germination, nine strains were subject to toxin analyses through fluorescence high-performance liquid chromatography. Morphological features and size of cysts generally agree with previous descriptions, particularly morphotypes found in the subtropical North Atlantic, where P . bahamense var. bahamense occurs. Cysts exhibit thermophilic and euryhaline characteristics. Highest germination occurred from 20°C to 35°C with the peak between 25°C and 30°C. Excystment occurred at salinities from 20 to 35. Germination occurred in the three culture media, but was highest in the optimal temperature range in the culture medium that included terrestrial soil extract and selenium. Only one strain exhibited toxicity with high saxitoxin concentration (95 pg STX eq cell -1 ).

An apparently undescribed lignicolous Dactylospora species was collected on a rocky shore in northern Taiwan. The ascomatal morphology of this fungus is similar to other marine Dactylospora species, whereas the unique feature of the new fungus is a distinct perispore forming an ascospore appendage, which comprises a thick and hyaline sheath connected at the septum that opens at both ends. Dactylospora vrijmoediae is described and illustrated as new to science. On the basis of a phylogenetic analysis of the partial 18S and 28S rRNA and RPB2 genes, D. vrijmoediae occurs with other marine species, D. haliotrepha , D. mangrovei , and the terrestrial Sclerococcum sphaerale in an unnamed clade within the Eurotiomycetes, Ascomycota. The marine Dactylospora species are distantly placed and are separated from the terrestrial Dactylospora species included in the analysis ( D. lobariella , D. imperfecta ).

This study extends our knowledge of the diversity of marine fungi from Saudi Arabia, which is virtually unknown. Thirty-seven fungi (28 ascomycetes, eight asexual fungi, and one basidiomycete) were recorded from 457 samples of driftwood and intertidal decayed wood of Avicennia marina collected from three sites along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. The three sites include two mangrove sites, namely: Yanbu and Farasan Island, while the third site is a sandy shore nearby Yanbu city. Thirty-one fungi were new records for Saudi Arabia. Swampomyces triseptatus is the only species common to the three sites. The recorded marine fungi were latitudinally distributed with fungi recorded from Yanbu (subtropical site) largely different from those at Farasan Island mangrove (tropical site) with only six common fungi recorded. Amarenographium solium was the most common fungus at Yanbu mangrove, while Lineolata rhizophorae dominated the fungal community at Farasan Island mangrove. Swampomyces armeniacus was commonly recorded at the two mangrove sites. Torpedospora radiata was the most common species recorded from driftwood samples collected at Yanbu beach. A new collection of Diatrypasimilis australiensis enabled us to make a detailed morphological study of the fungus. Mycelia with chlamydospores were isolated from the samples and subsequently sequenced, and they grouped in the Corollospora clade with various degrees of confidence, but did not sporulate on natural material or in culture.

Temperate coastal estuaries worldwide, such as Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, are influenced by seasonal macroalgal blooms (e.g., Ulva ) during warm months, whereas bloom-forming macroalgae are rarely encountered during winter. We assessed the ability of distromatic Ulva to overwinter through fragments, recruits, and/or microscopic propagules. We documented (a) small tissue fragments in sediment cores and the water column, (b) recruits and microscopic propagules on field-based settlement tiles, and (c) production of reproductive propagules, throughout the winter months. Laboratory culturing experiments indicated that both fragments and propagules are viable. Our data indicate that bloom-forming overwintering Ulva simultaneously use multiple reproductive strategies.