Bibliographic Detail
Schneider, C.W. & Lane, C.E., 2008
Reference:
Schneider, C.W. & Lane, C.E. (2008). Notes on the marine algae of the Bermudas. 9. The genus Botryocladia (Rhodophyta, Rhodymeniaceae), including B. bermudana, B. exquisita and B. flookii spp. nov. Phycologia 47: 614-619.
Abstract:
Using morphological and molecular analyses (rbcL gene sequences), three new species, Botryocladia bermudana, B.
exquisita and B. flookii, are described from the coastal waters and national aquarium of Bermuda. The new taxa are
joined by two others in the island’s flora, B. occidentalis and B. wynnei, the last representing a new distributional record.
The cryptic species, B. bermudana, is the most common of all Botryocladia species in the islands and was known from
Bermuda in the past as B. pyriformis (Børgesen) Kylin. Analysis of rbcL sequences shows that B. bermudana is most
closely related to B. caraibica from the Caribbean. These two species share many characteristics in addition to their
phylogentic positioning. Botryocladia exquisita is anatomically and molecularly most similar to the much smaller B.
monoica from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, and B. flookii bears a striking superficial resemblance to B.
macaronesica from the Canary Islands. Several anatomical and reproductive characteristics differentiate the two.
