• ALGAE
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.249-258
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• 2012

Nongeniculate coralline red algae are a common element of the Brazilian coastal zone, especially associated to coral reefs. During the course of ecological studies at Parque Municipal Marinho do Recife de Fora, two species of non-geniculate Corallinales were the major organisms covering the reef. Analyses of the vegetative and reproductive features of the species were analyzed; indicating that one new species of the genus Lithothamnion is proposed here based on the combination of several features associated with anatomy of the tetrasporangial conceptacles in relation to other species of the genus for which modern accounts are available. This new proposal along with other new species, new combinations and range extension of some species of the genus based in similar features clearly suggest that stability in species delimitation is possible. The second species found Pneophyllum conicum represents a range extension of more than 6,000 km from the Pacific in to the Atlantic Ocean suggesting that some nongeniculate species are widely distributed. The occurrence and abundance of these species supports and emphasizes the need for an extensive taxonomic reassessment of coralline red algae in the context of Brazilian coral reef biodiversity.

• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.85-99
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• 2018

Crustose calcareous algae (CCA) constitute one of the main reef builders on the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil. Once CCA taxonomy is locally understood, differences in growth-forms may be useful for the delimitation of taxa using characteristics such as the presence or absence of surface protuberances. Here, growth-forms were used to identify and quantify the most common CCA taxa on the shallow reefs (3-10 m) of the Abrolhos Bank to determine possible changes in the CCA community over a period of 10 years, and the ecological significance of CCA to local reefs was interpreted. The CCA assemblages were surveyed from 2006-2015 by using fixed photoquadrats at four sites in the inner (10-20 km from the mainland) and mid-shelf reefs (40-75 km from the mainland). The five most common CCA taxa were Pneophyllum conicum, the Lithophyllum kaiserii / Lithophyllum sp. complex, Melyvonnea erubescens, the Hydrolithon boergesenii / Porolithon onkodes complex and Peyssonelia sp. The overall mean CCA cover on the reefs was 20%. A comparison with a previous monitoring study in the same region indicated that the CCA cover nearly doubled from 2003-2008 to 2006-2015. This study reveals that the coral-killing species P. conicum dominated CCA flora on the shallow Abrolhos reefs in the last decade, and the local specific abundance of CCA slightly fluctuated over time and was species- and site-specific. The information obtained in this study contributes to the understanding of the ecology of the key calcifying components of the Abrolhos reefs and provides a useful baseline for exploring the responses of CCA to future environmental changes.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.317-340
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• 2016

The Abrolhos Continental Shelf (ACS) encompasses the largest and richest coral reefs in the southern Atlantic Ocean. A taxonomic study of non-geniculate coralline algae (NGCA) from the region was undertaken using both morpho-anatomical and molecular data. Specimens of NGCA were collected in 2012 and 2014 from shallow reefs of the ACS. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using dataset of psbA DNA sequences from 16 specimens collected in the ACS and additional GenBank sequences of related NGCA species. Nine common tropical reef-building NGCA species were identified and described: Hydrolithon boergesenii, Lithophyllum kaiseri, Lithophyllum sp., Lithothamnion crispatum, Melyvonnea erubescens, Pneophyllum conicum, Porolithon onkodes, Sporolithon ptychoides, and Titanoderma prototypum. A key for species identification is also provided in this study. Our molecular phylogenetic analyses suggest that Lithophyllum sp. corresponds to a new species. Our study also confirms that Lithophyllum kaiseri is a new record in Brazil. The psbA sequences of Lithophyllum kaiseri and Melyvonnea erubescens matched with type specimens indirectly. The taxonomic identification of the remaining species was supported by morpho-anatomical evidences as DNA sequences of their types or topotypes remain unavailable.