THE GENUS PREDAEA (NEMASTOMATACEAE, RHODOPHYTA) IN THE ALBORAN SEA (WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA), WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF PREDAEA-PUSILLA F ALBORANENSIS F-NOV

Predaea pusilla (Berthold) J. Feldmann f. alboranensis Conde, Lopez-Mi elgo et Flores-Moya f. nov. (Nemastomataceae, Rhodophyta) is described from the waters near Alboran Island (western Mediterranean Sea). The new taxon differs from Predaea pusilla f. pusilla by the presence of b icelled propagules, 8-12 mu m long and 4-5 mu m wide, formed at the ti ps of cortical filaments. Bicelled structures have also been reported in Predaea bisporifera Kajimura as bisporangia. The nature of these bi celled structures in P. pusilla f. alboranensis and P. bisporifera is discussed, and it is suggested that they are propagules rather than bi sporangia The first record of the Mediterranean endemic Predaea ollivi eri J. Feldmann is also reported for the Alboran Sea.