TAXONOMIC NOTES ON LAURENCIA-PARVIPAPILLATA (CERAMIALES, RHODOPHYTA) FROM THE WESTERN PACIFIC

The red alga Laurencia parvipapillata Tseng (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales ) is characterised by the following set of features: 1) decumbent or p rostrate thalli with conspicuously dorsiventral organisation; 2) disti chous branching; 3) the production of two periaxial cells from each ve getative axial segment; 4) the sporadic occurrence of longitudinally a nd laterally oriented secondary pit-connections between contiguous sup erficial cortical cells; 5) the presence of projecting superficial cor tical cells; 6) the presence of a palisade-like cortical layer; 7) the absence of lenticular thickenings in the walls of medullary cells; 8) the absence of corps en cerise; 9) a perpendicular arrangement of tet rasporangia; 10) the production of three tetrasporangium-bearing (an o rdinary and two additional, the second to fourth) periaxial cells per fertile segment of tetrasporangial branches; and 11) spermatangia with distally-positioned nuclei.