PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE LARGE SUBUNIT RUBISCO GENE SUPPORTS THE EXCLUSION OF AVRAINVILLEA AND CLADOCEPHALUS FROM THE UDOTEACEAE (BRYOPSIDALES,CHLOROPHYTA)1

The placement of Avrainvillea and Cladocephalus in the family Udoteaceae (order Bryopsidales) has been questioned on the basis of nuclear, plastid, and other ultrastructural characteristics unique to these genera. Bayesian analysis of the chloroplast‐encoded LSU RUBISCO (rbcL) gene showed that the Udoteaceae is paraphyletic. Cladocephalus luteofuscus (P. Crouan et H. Crouan) Børgesen, Avrainvillea nigricans f. floridana D. Littler et Littler, and A. mazei G. Murray et Boodle form a clade with the freshwater alga Dichotomosiphon tuberosus (A. Braun ex Kütz.) A. Ernst that is basal to a clade that includes other members of the Udoteaceae, the Halimedaceae, and the Caulerpaceae. The noncalcified species Boodleopsis pusilla (Collins) W. R. Taylor, A. B. Joly et Bernat. groups with species of the calcified Udoteacean genera Penicillus, Rhipocephalus, Udotea, and Halimeda.     

Deep-water macroalgae from the Canary Islands: new records and biogeographical relationships

Due to the geographical location and paleobiogeography of the Canary Islands, the seaweed flora contains macroalgae with different distributional patterns. In this contribution, the biogeographical relations of several new records of deep-water macroalgae recently collected around the Canarian archipelago are discussed. These areBryopsidella neglecta (Berthold) Rietema,Discosporangium mesarthrocarpum (Meneghini) Hauck,Hincksia onslowensis (Amsler et Kapraun) P. C. Silva,Syringoderma floridana Henry,Peyssonnelia harveyana J. Agardh,Cryptonemia seminervis (C. Agardh) J. Agardh,Botryocladia wynnei Ballantine,Gloiocladia blomquistii (Searles) R. E. Norris,Halichrysis peltata (W. R. Taylor) P. Huvé et H. Huvé,Leptofauchea brasiliensis Joly, andSarcodiotheca divaricata W. R. Taylor. These new records, especially those in the Florideophyceae, support the strong affinity of the Canary Islands seaweed flora with the warm-temperate Mediterranean-Atlantic region. Some species are recorded for the first time from the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean, enhancing the biogeographic relations of the Canarian marine flora with that of the western Atlantic regions.     

BLOOM OF THE GIANT ANADYOMENE GIGANTODICTYON SP. NOV. (ANADYOMENACEAE,CLADOPHORALES) FROM THE OUTER SLOPE (25–50 m) OF THE BELIZE BARRIER REEF1

A giant form of Anadyomene, most similar to Anadyomene pavonina (J. Agardh) Wille, a rare and diminutive alga endemic to Florida, appeared as up to 10 m long net‐like strands covering 10%–80% of a 0.5 km region of the 25–50 m deep Belizean outer reef slope where none had been present up to 12 months earlier. This new species, described herein as Anadyomene gigantodictyon Littler et D. S. Littler, is characterized by a unistratose blade or cluster of blades formed by the polychotomous branching of uniseriate veins, with the interstices, or spaces between the veins, completely or partially filled with cells that are smaller than those of the veins, with cylindrical to ovate cells. The cells at mid‐blade are 1.7–2.0 mm in length and 0.2–0.3 mm diameter; interstitial cells are parallel and not juxtaposed. All cells are joined in one plane and form species‐specific, fan‐shaped patterns with secondary interstitial cells loosely or tightly woven.     

First insights into the vertical habitat use of the whitespotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari revealed by pop-up satellite archival tags

The whitespotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari is a tropical to warm-temperate benthopelagic batoid that ranges widely throughout the western Atlantic Ocean. Despite conservation concerns for the species, its vertical habitat use and diving behaviour remain unknown. Patterns and drivers in the depth distribution of A. narinari were investigated at two separate locations, the western North Atlantic (Islands of Bermuda) and the eastern Gulf of Mexico (Sarasota, Florida, U.S.A.). Between 2010 and 2014, seven pop-up satellite archival tags were attached to A. narinari using three methods: a through-tail suture, an external tail-band and through-wing attachment. Retention time ranged from 0 to 180 days, with tags attached via the through-tail method retained longest. Tagged rays spent the majority of time (82.85 ± 12.17% S.D.) within the upper 10 m of the water column and, with one exception, no rays travelled deeper than ~26 m. One Bermuda ray recorded a maximum depth of 50.5 m, suggesting that these animals make excursions off the fore-reef slope of the Bermuda Platform. Individuals occupied deeper depths (7.42 ± 3.99 m S.D.) during the day versus night (4.90 ± 2.89 m S.D.), which may be explained by foraging and/or predator avoidance. Each individual experienced a significant difference in depth and temperature distributions over the diel cycle. There was evidence that mean hourly depth was best described by location and individual variation using a generalized additive mixed model approach. This is the first study to compare depth distributions of A. narinari from different locations and describe the thermal habitat for this species. Our study highlights the importance of region in describing A. narinari depth use, which may be relevant when developing management plans, whilst demonstrating that diel patterns appear to hold across individuals.     

REVISION OF THE SPOTTED DOLPHINS, STENELLA SPP.

The taxonomy of the spotted dolphins has been confused. Two apparent species exist, one endemic to the Atlantic and the other pantropical. They have sharply different color patterns and non-overlapping vertebral counts. However, the holotype specimens for most of the names that have been applied to the spotted dolphins (including S. attenuata, S. frontalis, S. plagiodon and others) are skulls only, with no information on coloration or number of vertebrae. The two species overlap in all skull characters; geographical variation in both is pronounced. We used a discriminant analysis based on tooth counts and three skull measurements (standardized to skull width) to identify the type specimens to the two species. We used other criteria for assignment of nominal species for which holotype specimens do not exist. We propose that Stenella frontalis (G. Cuv., 1829) be used for the Atlantic endemic species and Stenella attenuata (Gray, 1846) for the pantropical species and here redescribe the species. Proposed common names are Atlantic spotted dolphin and pantropical spotted dolphin. S. frontalis now includes Delphinus froenatus F. Cuv., 1829, D. doris Gray, 1846 and D. plagiodon Cope, 1866. S. attenuata (a nomen conservandum) includes D. velox G. Cuv., 1829, D. pseudodelphis Wiegmann, ≤ 1840, D. brevimanus Wagner, 1846, D. microbrachium Gray, 1850, D. albirostratus Peale, 1848, Steno capensis Gray, 1865, Clymene punctatus Gray, 1866, Steno consimilis Malm, 1871 and Prodelphinus graffmani Lönnberg, 1934. Unidentifiable to either of the two valid species are D. dubius G. Cuv., 1812, D. pernettensis de Blainville, 1817 (suppressed), D. malayanus Lesson, 1826 and D. Rappii Reichenbach, 1845; these must remain incertae sedis.     

New records of Peyssonnelia armorica and Peyssonnelia harveyana (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales) from Japan

Two species of the crustose red algal genus Peyssonnelia (Gigartinales, Peyssonneliaceae) are reported from Japanese waters for the first time. These species share the following combination of vegetative and reproductive features: thalli with appressed margins, perithallial filaments arising from the whole upper surface of each hypothallial cell (the Peyssonnelia rubra‐type anatomy), unicellular rhizoids, hypobasal calcification and spermatangia that are produced in double chains (the Peyssonnelia harveyana‐type spermatangial filament). However, they differ obviously from each other in the hypothallus orientation as seen from below, the perithallus structure in relation to the consistency of the crust, the origin of gonimoblasts and the elevation of the nemathecia. Peyssonnelia armorica is characterized by: (i) hypothallial filaments comprising a polyflabellate layer; (ii) easily separable perithallial filaments in a gelatinous matrix; (iii) gonimoblasts originating exclusively from the auxiliary cell; and (iv) semi‐immersed (slightly elevated) nemathecia. Peyssonnelia harveyana is characterized by: (i) hypothallial filaments arranged in parallel rows; (ii) closely packed perithallial filaments in a firm matrix; (iii) gonimoblsts originating from both the auxiliary cell and the connecting filament; and (iv) conspicuously elevated nemathecia.     

Zoogeography and parallel level-bottom communities of the meiobenthic harpacticoida (Crustacea,Copepoda) of Bermuda

Summary Twenty nine harpacticoid copepods are new to Bermuda and significant changes are noted in the distribution records of several species. Six temporary groups are organized to separate the copepods on their apparent zoogeographical ranges: (1) cosmopolitan, (2) warm temperate-tropical, (3) North Atlantic, (4) North Atlantic-Mediterranean, (5) Endemic to Bermuda and (6) uncertain. These six artificial groups do not necessarily correspond to the standard zoogeographical provinces. Endemism of the Bermudian harpacticoids is similar to the rates reported and predicted for other fauna on North Atlantic Islands. Low endemic rates probably reflect changing environmental conditions during the late Pleistocene.Three distinct harpacticoid isocommunities are reported. The associations are similar to harpacticoid assemblages found in similar sediment types in different parts of the world. All three associations are in agreement with Thorson's (1957) concept of the parallel level-bottom community.Contribution No. 78 from the Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa., U.S.A.-Contribution No. 467 from the Bermuda Biological Station, St. George's West, Bermuda.     

A molecular evaluation of the Liagoraceae sensu lato (Nemaliales,Rhodophyta) in Bermuda including Liagora nesophila sp. nov. and Yamadaella grassyi sp. nov.

We have undertaken a comprehensive, molecular‐assisted alpha‐taxonomic examination of the rhodophyte family Liagoraceae sensu lato, a group that has not previously been targeted for molecular studies in the western Atlantic. Sequence data from three molecular markers indicate that in Bermuda alone there are 10 species in nine different genera. These include the addition of three genera to the flora — Hommersandiophycus, Trichogloeopsis, and Yamadaella. Liagora pectinata, a species with a type locality in Bermuda, is phylogenetically allied with Indo‐Pacific species of Hommersandiophycus, and the species historically reported as L. ceranoides for the islands is morphologically and genetically distinct from that taxon, and is herein described as L. nesophila sp. nov. Molecular sequence data have also uncovered the Indo‐Pacific L. mannarensis in Bermuda, a long‐distance new western Atlantic record. DNA sequences of Trichogloeopsis pedicellata from the type locality (Bahamas) match with local specimens demonstrating its presence in Bermuda. We described Yamadaella grassyi sp. nov. from Bermuda, a species phylogenetically and morphologically distinct from the generitype, Y. caenomyce of the Indo‐Pacific. Our data also indicated a single species each of Ganonema, Gloiocallis, Helminthocladia, Titanophycus, and Trichogloea in the flora.     

Blitzkrieg in a Marine Invasion: Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) Reaches the Canary Islands (North-East Atlantic)

On the basis of morphological and genetic studies (rDNA ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2, and a 18S rDNA intron), we confirm here that Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea (Sonder) Verlaque, Huisman et Boudouresque, a southwestern Australian taxon recently introduced into the Mediterranean Sea also occurs in the Canary Islands. This is the first report of C. racemosa var. cylindracea in the Atlantic. It was observed for the first time in the Canary Archipelago in 1997–1998. The speed and regional scale of expansion (north Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea) of this invasive species appear to be among the most dramatic ever recorded. The possible outcome of this introduction in the Atlantic is discussed.     

多歧苏铁的修订

中国特有种。产云南东南部元江流域,个旧、蒙自、屏边与河口交界处,海拔200-1000