First reports of the red alga Hypoglossum caloglossoides from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea

Abstract

Abstract The occurrence of the red algal species Hypoglossum caloglossoides (Delesseriaceae, Ceramiales) is reported for the first time from shallow sub-littoral sites in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. This small but morphologically distinctive species, originally described from Lord Howe Island in the southwestern South Pacific Ocean, has been recorded from scattered tropical and subtropical locations around the globe. Some aspects of its ecology in the north Israeli Mediterranean are also discussed.