Marine macroalgae of the Aleutian Islands: I. Bangiales

Abstract

We sequenced the rbcL gene in more than 100 collections of foliose Bangiales made in the Aleutian Islands and western Alaska Peninsula during the past 25 years. This work allows us to recognize four previously undescribed species, two in the genus Boreophyllum and two in Pyropia. Boreophyllum aleuticum appears to be endemic to the Aleutian Islands, whereas B. ambiguum is known to occur from the Yakutat area to the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. The two previously undescribed species of Pyropia are more broadly distributed. Pyropia taeniata, which was previously identified under the name Py. pseudolinearis, occurs from northern Southeast Alaska through the Aleutian Islands. Pyropia unabbottiae, which is sister to Py. abbottiae, occurs from southern Vancouver Island to Attu Island. Collections throughout the Aleutian Islands allow us to document the distribution of another dozen species of foliose Bangiales in this region, including Boreophyllum aestivale, Fuscifolium tasa, Pyropia fallax, Py fucicola, Py gardneri, Py kurogii, Py nereocystis, Py pseudol- anceolata, Py. torta, Wildemania amplissima, W. norrisii, and W. variegata. We were unable to confirm the occurrence of the following species previously recorded from the Aleutian Islands: Porphya ochotensis, Pyropia abbottiae, Py. perforata, Py. pseudolinearis, P purpurea, P umbilicalis, Py. yezoensis and Wildemania schizophylla. At least two undescribed filamentous Bangiales also occur in the Aleutian Islands.