Predaea kuroshioensis sp. nov. (Nemastomataceae, Rhodophyta) from Japan

Abstract

Abstract The marine red alga Predaea kuroshioensis sp. nov. (Nemastomataceae, Rhodophyta) is described from central Pacific Japan. It is a deep-water species with the following characters: foliaceous orbicular undulate gametophytic thallus up to c. 11 cm in height and width, often with bullate protuberances on the surface; pseudodichotomously, rarely trichotomously divided cortical filaments with cylindrical outer cortical cells; two- to four-celled carpogonial branches, with or without one or two lateral sterile cells on the hypogynous cell or the basal cell of carpogonial branches; few nutritive cells borne on cells one to three cells distant from the auxiliary cell; gonimoblast initiated from the connecting filament, with mature carposporophytes containing two or three gonimolobes. Plants lack veins in the thallus, wrinkles on the thallus surface, secondary cortical filaments, vesicular cells and transverse divisions of fertilized carpogonia. The new species is compared and contrasted with the 13 previ...