The marine algae of British Columbia and northern Washington: division Rhodophyta (red algae), class Rhodophyceae, order Palmariales

Abstract

This is a floristic treatment of benthic marine red algae (Rhodophyta) in the order Palmariales that occur in British Columbia and northern Washington. Seven species (including one new species of Palmaria) in four genera are recorded as follows: Halosacciocolax kjellmanii Lund, Halosaccion glandiforme (S. G. Gmelin) Ruprecht, Palmaria callophylloides Hawkes et Scagel, sp. nov., P. hecatensis Hawkes, P. mollis (Setchell et Gardner) van der Meer et Bird, Rhodophysema elegans (P. L. et H. M. Crouan ex J. Agardh) P. S. Dixon, and R. georgii Batters. Rhodophysema minus Hollenberg et Abbott is treated as a taxonomic synonym of R. elegans. An historical background of the Palmariales is provided. Also provided are revised circumscriptions of the family Palmariaceae and genera Palmaria, Halosaccion, and Rhodophysema based on recent life-history studies by other workers that demonstrate the presence of sexual reproduction in several palmarialean taxa. Keys to and descriptions of taxa (at the ordinal, familial, generic, and specific levels), as well as information on synonyms, location of type specimens, type localities, and what is known about the life histories, distribution, seasonality, and habitats of all taxa, are provided. References are given, and representative specimens are cited that document our concept of the taxa and their morphological variability, seasonality, and geographical distributions.