The Liagoraceae (Rhodophyta: Nemaliales) of the Hawaiian Islands. 1: First Record of the Genus Gloiotrichus for Hawai'i and the Pacific Ocean

Gloiotrichusfractalis Huisman & Kraft is documented for the first time from the island of Hawai'i, Hawaiian Islands, which also represents the first record for the Pacific Ocean. The single specimen on which the record is based is 12 cm in height, extremely mucilaginous, with percurrent primary axes and irregularly arranged lateral branches. Carpogonial branches are borne on the basal one to three cells of cortical fascicles; when mature they are five to eight cells long and straight. Before fertilization, cells of the carpogonial branch pro duce several lateral branches similar in morphology to cortical filaments. After presumed fertilization the zygote (= postfertilization carpogonium) divides transversely and gonimoblast initials are produced trom both of the resultant cells. Mature carposporophytes are spherical, with terminal carposporangia and a fusion cell formed from the cells of the carpogonial branch and basal cells of lateral filaments. The Hawaiian specimen is identical in virtually all respects to those from the Indian Ocean type locality in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands of Western Australia. THE MONOTYPIC GENUS Ghiotrichus was erected by Huisman and Kraft (1994) for plants collected from the central west coast of Australia. Distinguishing features include an extremely mucilaginous habit, elongate car pogonial branches bearing secondary lateral branches, production of the gonimoblast from both cells of the transversely divided zygote, and formation of a postfertilization fusion cell comprising cells of the carpogonial branch. Thus far the genus is known only from the Pelsaert and Easter groups of the Houtman Abrolhos, a cluster of mainly coral offshore islands situated at a latitude of 28 29° S (see Huisman 1997). Recently a specimen referable to Gloio trichus and seeIningly identical to G. fractalis