Liagora tsengii sp nov (Liagoraceae, Nemaliales) from the Lesser Antilles,West Indies

Lingora tsengii sp. nov. (Liagoraceae, Rhodophyta) is described from St Kit ts and Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, West Indies. Mature thalli are to 7-10 cm in height, pinkish grey, moderately to heavily calcified, mucilaginous, and dichotomously branched (often with numerous short proliferous lateral b ranches in older portions). Carpogonial branches are 4-5 celled and borne o n the mid- or distal region of a mid-cortical supporting cell. Following pr esumed fertilization the zygote divides transversely and gonimoblast initia ls arise laterally from the distal daughter cell. A moderately diffuse goni moblast is produced, although it does not intermingle with vegetative filam ents. The lower gonimoblast cells and distal cells of the carpogonial branc h coalesce and form a fusion cell. Post-fertilization sterile filaments ari se from the basal cell of the carpogonial branch and occasionally from the supporting cell, and adjacent vegetative cells. Spermatangia are borne in c lusters on spermatangial mother cells that arise from apical and subapical cells of assimilatory filaments. The new species differs from those previou sly included in the genus by its moderately diffuse gonimoblast and by the position of the post-fertilization sterile filaments. The former feature re lates the new species to Liagora indica V. Krishn. et Sundararajan. Liagora tsengii differs from that species in the production of postfertilization f ilaments from the carpogonial branch.