J. Phycol. 44, 834–837 (2008) 2008 Phycological Society of America DOI: 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2008.00529.x

BOOK REVIEW

bulk of flora on Lord Howe Island prove to have Kraft, G. T. 2007. Algae of Australia: Marine Benthic tropical links. Originally, the focus of studies in the Algae of Lord Howe Island and the Southern Great Heron and One Tree islands area was the deepwater Barrier Reef, 1. Green Algae. Australian Biological red algae. Very soon, indications of a rich but lar- Resources Study and CSIRO Publishing, Colling- gely unknown deepwater flora appeared, with a wood, Victoria, Australia, 356 pp. AU$125. ISBN: remarkably high number of green algae that inhabit 9780643094321. the coral banks and deep channels around these islands, especially in the Wistari Channel. A series of scientific publications on the seaweed It was with great pleasure that I agreed to review flora of that region (Kraft 2000) or on specific this book. One reason was that after having met groups (Allender and Kraft 1983, Kraft 1984, Gerry Kraft in Sydney in 1998, I realized Gerry’s 1986a,b, Kraft and Olsen-Stojkovich 1985, Kraft and profound knowledge of seaweed taxonomy, next to Wynne 1996, Kraft and Millar 2005) has already his kindness and collegiality. A second reason was resulted from this research program. This book, that after a first glance at the book, I already had being the first one of a series on the seaweeds from the impression that I would be able to use numer- Lord Howe Island and surroundings, is based on ous superlatives. This assumption was confirmed over 2,000 pressed herbarium specimens of green after detailed reading. algae in addition to more than 400 formalin-pre- W. H. Harvey initiated research on Australian served samples and several hundred microscope algae with his five-volume Phycologia Australica slides, deposited at the Herbarium, School of Bot- (1858–1863). H. B. S. Womersley (2003) recently any, University of Melbourne (MELU). Of course, published the last of a six-volume series, The Marine data and illustrations from the previous publications Benthic Flora of Southern Australia (1984–2003), dou- (mainly from Kraft 2000 on Lord Howe Island’s bling the number of genera (over 460) and species benthic green algae) are included in this book, but (1,137) of that continent and confirming the the descriptions as well as the discussions and illus- extreme diversity of marine benthic photosynthetic trations have been rewritten, completed, imple- organisms in this warm-temperate region. Recently, mented, and remounted. Moreover, the species the series Algae of Australia was started in 2006, of collected in Capricornia have been added. which this is the fourth volume. It is the first one In the introduction, maps, and descriptions are on the seaweeds from Lord Howe Island and sur- given of the islands, reefs, cays, and channels where roundings. specimens were collected: Lord Howe Island; Balls Kraft was a student of Womersley, and after his Pyramid; Wheatsheaf Islet; and the Capricorn thesis in 1974, he sought other exotic destinations Group with numerous islands and reefs, including in which to continue his research. He was drawn to Heron, Wilson, and One Tree islands and Wistari Lord Howe Island, an isolated volcanic outcrop, Reef, localities where most collections were made. about 770 km north of Sydney and about a third of Lord Howe Island was conferred with World Heri- the way between Australia and New Zealand. His tage listing in 1982. More recently, the Lord Howe interest was piqued after learning that the island Island Marine Park was declared by both the New emerged in the middle of the Tasman Sea over six South Wales and commonwealth governments. million years ago, has never been connected to any Tightly controlled residential and tourist develop- major landmass, and is home to the world’s south- ment has left over 75 percent of the island in an ernmost coral reef. In spite of this potential for new almost pristine state, and the island’s conservation discoveries, only two studies had previously reported was promoted. on the marine plants of Lord Howe Island, one by According to the book (pp. 7–8), the likely affini- Zanardini (1874), who never visited the island, and ties of the green algae of Lord Howe Island can be the other by Lucas (1935). grouped in five categories: (1) those widespread in Kraft embarked on his first collecting trip to the the world’s warm seas, (2) those virtually cosmopoli- island in 1976. As elsewhere in Australia, red algae tan in cold and warm waters, (3) those previously contribute far more species than do the green and known only from the Northern Hemisphere (i.e., all brown algae together. Gradually, interest was grow- new Southern Hemisphere records), (4) those ing in the southern group of reefs and cays of the mostly known previously from the Indian Ocean, Great Barrier Reef, known collectively as Capricor- and (5) the endemics. As expected, the most bio- nia or the Capricorn Group, as these were expected geographical affiliations appear to be to the Great to be the most likely sources for species should the Barrier Reef rather than to adjacent and lower

834 BOOK REVIEW 835 latitudes on the Australian mainland or in New Zea- of the book is of great help for those who are not land. The most comprehensive account of green familiar with the terms used. I am not convinced algae from the Capricorn Group is that of the coe- that in step 41 of the key the thalli of Bryopsis have nocytic (multinucleate) forms, since ulvoid and no or only an indistinct percurrent axis is really cor- other taxa with uninucleate cells were far less rigor- rect (see illustrations of B. indica and B. vestita). ously sampled than were those at Lord Howe The indication of the page where the genus is dis- Island. The numbers of coenocytic species are cussed in the key is very useful since it avoids having greater in the Capricorn Group than at Lord Howe to go back to the index all the time. Island, but the gain is predominantly from those The generic key is followed by the core of the that are widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Of book, the description and illustration of the 41 gen- the 13 species of Halimeda known from the Capri- era, 117 species, some of these including several corn Group (all Indo-Pacific), none occurs at Lord subspecies, varieties, or forms. For those who have Howe Island, although two endemic species occur been using Womersley’s books, the similarity is evi- there. Several genera of primarily Indo-Pacific spe- dent, with detailed descriptions, thorough discus- cies are present on the southern Great Barrier Reef sions, and superb illustrations. Even the microscopic but do not occur at all on Lord Howe Island, species Ulvella, Entocladia, and Blastophysa are mag- including Boergesenia, Penicillus, Pseudochlorodesmis, nificently illustrated. Rhipilia, Udotea, and Bornetella. Conversely, only the One new genus, Botryodesmis, and 11 new species endemic Botryodesmis and possibly one widespread are described (in the appendix, pp. 319–25): Ulvella species of Acetabularia are native to Lord Howe perfurcata, Ulva polyclada, Cladophoropsis planiuscula, Island but seemingly not Capricornia. C. herpa, Boergesenia magna, Codium gongylocephalum, Twenty-three taxa appear to be endemic to the C. reversum, Halimeda cereidesmis, Pseudochlorodesmis study areas, Lord Howe Island having 17, and Capri- monopodialis, Botryodesmis exocarpa, and Bryopsis pro- cornia six. As Kraft states, endemicity of seaweeds is funda. In addition, one new form is described (Hali- difficult to assess, especially since those species con- meda gracilis f. triloba), three new combinations are fined to deeper waters do not often feature in floris- made (Ulva howensis [Enteromorpha], Ulva flexuosa tic surveys in regions where they might also be subsp. paradoxa [Enteromorpha], Valonia nutrix [Ventri- expected. caria]), and one new name is proposed (Chaetomor- After the introduction, the systematic arrange- pha ochlofobians [Chaetomorpha solitaria]). ment is presented and discussed. In the footnotes, For each genus, the original publication is men- Kraft demonstrates his awareness of the latest phylo- tioned, the etymology is explained, and the type genetic concepts at the ordinal or family level. He species is mentioned. The generic description is distinguishes Tetrasporales (Palmellopsidaceae: given, followed by the number of species belonging Palmophyllum, 1 sp.), Chaetophorales (Chaetophora- to it worldwide, its ecology, and its biogeographic ceae: Uronema, 1sp., Stromatella, 1sp.), Ulvales (Ulvell- distribution. The last paragraph discusses the taxo- aceae: Ulvella, 3 spp., Entocladia, 2 spp.; Ulvaceae: nomic and ⁄ or phylogenetic position of the genus. Ulva, 9 spp., one of which has 2 subspp.), Cladopho- For genera, represented by several species in the rales (Cladophoraceae: Chaetomorpha, 4 spp., Rhizoc- study area, a key to the species is added. The species lonium, 1 sp., Cladophora, 14 spp.; Anadyomenaceae: are arranged as they are sorted out by the identifica- Microdictyon, 2 spp.), Siphonocladales (Boodleaceae: tion key. Personally, I would have preferred an Boodlea, 2 spp., Struvea, 1 sp., Phyllodictyon, 2 spp., alphabetical arrangement, because now one has Cladophoropsis, 4 spp.; Siphonocladaceae: Dictyosphae- either to look at the key or at the index to find a ria, 2 spp., Boergesenia, 1 sp.; Valoniaceae: Valonia,2 species, especially for genera with numerous species spp., Valoniopsis, 1 sp.), Bryopsidales (Chaetosiphon- (i.e., Cladophora, Codium, Caulerpa, Halimeda). aceae: Blastophysa, 1 sp.; Codiaceae: Codium, 8 spp.; The species name is followed by the citation of Caulerpaceae: Caulerpella, 1 sp., Caulerpa, 12 spp. the original publication, the type locality, the basi- and several varieties; Halimedaceae: Halimeda,16 onym and synonyms, and some recent bibliographic spp. and some forms; Udoteaceae: Avrainvillea,3 references. The descriptions are very detailed and spp., Udotea, 2 spp., Penicillus, 1 sp., Rhipidosiphon,1 complete, and extremely well illustrated by macro- sp., Rhipilia, 2 spp., Rhipiliopsis, 5 spp., Rhipiliella,1 scopic and ⁄ or microscopic black-and-white photo- sp., Chlorodesmis, 2 spp., Pseudochlorodesmis, 2 spp., Si- graphic pictures. The completeness of the phonogramen, 1 sp., Botryodesmis, 1 sp.; Derbesiaceae: illustrations of characters is really stunning (e.g., the Derbesia, 1 sp.; Bryopsidaceae: Pseudobryopsis, 1 sp., desmid-like growth form of Blastophysa, fig. 53, p. Bryopsis, 4 spp.), and Dasycladales (Polyphysaceae: 129). Moreover, with a few exceptions (e.g., fig. Acetabularia, 1 sp., Parvocaulis, 2 spp.; Dasycladaceae: 62A), the quality of the pictures is excellent. In the Neomeris, 3 spp., Bornetella, 2 spp.). middle of the book (pp. 134–44), 11 color plates I tried out the key to genera several times and illustrate collecting sites, underwater biotopes, had no difficulty arriving at the correct taxon. A and the morphology of numerous species, convinc- foreknowledge of anatomical and cytological charac- ing the nonphycologist of the beauty of seaweeds. ters is needed, but the complete glossary at the end The description of each species is followed by its 836 BOOK REVIEW biogeographical distribution, the citation of refer- da flora (16 spp.) of the Capricorn Group. This ence specimen(s), and eventually additional speci- chapter was also discussed with H. Verbruggen, a mens that were examined. Another outstanding world specialist on the genus. A new species is pro- feature of the book is the thorough discussion fol- posed, H. cereidesmis, with strikingly distinct anatomi- lowing each species description. Depending on the cal characters. It is only known from the type taxon, either a historical review is given on the views collection. In H. gracilis, a new form is described, f. of different phycologists on the placement of a spe- triloba, also only known from the type locality. How- cies in one genus rather than in another, or on syn- ever, some H. gracilis specimens from Sri Lanka, onymies versus separation of species being deposited in GENT, agree with the description of suggested by them. For other taxa, variability of this form, pointing to the possible nonendemicity of characters is discussed for both field conditions as this taxon. well as culture experiments. Finally, in some cases, The genera Rhipilia (2 spp.), Rhipiliopsis (5 spp.), recent phylogenetic relationships (from literature) and Rhipiliella (1 sp.) were previously published are added, ensuring that this book is at the fore- (Kraft 1986a) in a monographic paper on represen- front of phycological taxonomy. tatives from Australia and the Philippines. In the In some cases, previously reported species from Kraft (2000) publication on Lord Howe Island, only the region are excluded (e.g., Caulerpa fastigiata or two species of Rhipiliopsis are included since the C. brownii) because study of the reference material other taxa were only collected in Capricornia. The either proves it does not belong to that taxon (for species included here have been provided with new C. fastigiata) or most probably has been inadver- illustrations of incredible detail and quality and tently mixed with specimens coming from cooler, rewritten descriptions. continental Australian regions (for C. brownii). In In the discussion on Bryopsis indica, Kraft is aware the genus Valonia, the exclusion of the three species of the differing opinions about the distinction collected by Cribb (1984) from Capricornia reef between, versus conspecificity with, B. pennata. flats, V. aegagropila, V. fastigiata, and V. macrophysa, Based on my own field experience in the Indian seems less evident to the reader. On the one hand, Ocean, I would disagree with his conclusion and it is astonishing that Kraft’s own collection of 2,000 identify his specimens as B. pennata. Molecular stud- herbarium specimens of green algae from that ies should clarify species boundaries in this genus as region does not contain these species. On the other morphology seems to be highly variable. hand, the statement that ‘‘these species are not Although nice books on Dasycladales have dealt with here because there is no fresh material appeared recently, Kraft succeeds in illustrating by which to adequately illustrate them’’ is not very some crucial characters not previously published. convincing (Kraft 2007, p. 121). As a result, only At the end of the book, an extensive bibliography V. ventricosa and V. nutrix are included in the identi- is given (pp. 300–18), and new taxa and combina- fication key and species descriptions of the genus, tions are added in an appendix (pp. 319–25). Per- complicating the possibility of future phycologists sonally, I am not really convinced of the value of identifying the other species. some newly described species, such as Boergesenia The genus Codium is well represented by eight magna, which might only be a growth form of species, of which one is a new species, C. reversum. B. forbesii, based on material from the East African This species somewhat forms an intermediate coast. If they appear to be distinct, analysis of the between the genera Codium (presenting siphon large, isolated specimens from other areas might plugs) and Pseudocodium (bulbous utricles lacking show that B. magna is not an endemic from the hairs and gametangia and tendency for chloroplasts southern Great Barrier Reef but has been over- to be concentrated in the siphons rather than in looked as a distinct species in other geographic utricles; De Clerck et al. 2008). Some specimens areas. from northern Papua New Guinea, deposited in Finally, a very extensive glossary (pp. 326–38) and GENT, and identified as Codium sp. share the same a list of abbreviations and contractions (pp. 339–41) characters and should be reexamined. If they are are given, followed by the index. confirmed as belonging to C. reversum, this species One notable error is the fact that figures 72 and would no longer be an endemic for the north-cen- 73 are identical, illustrating Halimeda micronesica. tral and southern Great Barrier Reef. The legend of figure 73 (H. gracilis) is correct, but As the genus Caulerpa is one of my favorites, I the illustrations of this species are missing, a read that chapter with great interest. I highly appre- regrettable error, which is all the more painful as ciated the discussion and conclusions on C. peltata the missing plate should include the only illustra- and C. racemosa. One can only wonder why the dif- tion of the newly described H. gracilis f. triloba. ferent varieties of C. cupressoides, C. webbiana, and C. Apparently, the plate will be added in the next vol- racemosa cannot be keyed out, whereas both varieties ume on brown algae, which will appear by the end of C. peltata are included in the key. of 2008. The genus Halimeda is coauthored by Joanne The identification keys, detailed descriptions, up- Noble who wrote her MSc thesis on the rich Halime- to-date discussions, and illustrations of even the BOOK REVIEW 837 most minute characters make this volume a must Harvey, W. H. 1858–1863. Phycologia Australica. Vol. 1–5. Lovell for the taxonomist. Even for the nontaxonomist, Reeve, London. Kraft, G. T. 1984. The red algal genus Predaea (Nemastomataceae, the superb illustrations make it a very nice photo Gigartinales) in Australia. Phycologia 23:3–20. book. For those working on seaweeds from tropical Kraft, G. T. 1986a. The green algal genera Rhipiliopsis A. & E.S. regions, it will certainly be continuously on the Gepp and Rhipiliella gen. nov. (Udoteaceae, Bryopsidales) in working table. It is definitely on mine! Australia and the Philippines. Phycologia 25:47–72. Kraft, G. T. 1986b. The genus Gibsmithia (Dumontiaceae, Rhodo- phyta) in Australia. Phycologia 25:423–47. Eric Coppejans Kraft, G. T. 2000. Marine and estuarine benthic green algae (Chlorophyta) of Lord Howe Island, south-western Pacific. Phycology Research Group Aust. Syst. Bot. 13:509–648. Ghent University Kraft, G. T. & Millar, A. J. K. 2005. Struvea thoracica sp. nov. Krijgslaan 281, S8 (Cladophorophyceae), a new deep-water chlorophyte from the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia. Phycologia 44:305–11. 9000 Ghent, Belgium Kraft, G. T. & Olsen-Stojkovich, J. 1985. Avrainvillea calithina (Udoteaceae, Bryopsidales), a new green alga from Lord Howe Allender, B. M. & Kraft, G. T. 1983. The marine algae of Lord Howe Island, NSW, Australia. Phycologia 24:339–45. Island (New South Wales): the Dictyotales and Cutleriales Kraft, G. T. & Wynne, M. J. 1996. Delineation of the genera Struvea (Phaeophyta). Brunonia 6:73–130. Sonder and Phyllodictyon J.E. Gray (Cladophorales, Chloro- Cribb, A. B. 1984. Algal vegetation of the Capricornia Section, phyta). Phycol. Res. 44:129–42. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. In Ward, W. T. & Saenger, P. Lucas, A. H. S. 1935. Marine algae of Lord Howe Island. Proc. Linn. [Eds.] The Capricornia Section of the Great Barrier Reef: Past, Soc. New South Wales 60:194–232. Present and Future. Royal Society of Queensland, Brisbane, Womersley, H. B. S. 2003. The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Aus- Australia, pp. 79–86. tralia, Rhodophyta, Part IIID, Ceramiales – Delesseriaceae, Sarco- De Clerck, O., Verbruggen, H., Huisman, J. M., Faye, E. J., Leliaert, meniaceae, Rhodomelaceae. Australian Biological Resources F., Schils, T. & Coppejans, E. 2008. Systematics and biogeog- Study, Canberra, Australia, 533 pp. raphy of the genus Pseudocodium (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta), Zanardini, G. 1874. Phyceae australicae novae vel minus cognitae. including the description of P. natalense sp. nov. from South Flora 57:486–90. Africa. Phycologia 47:225–35.