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

Gloiotrichus fractalis 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 produce several lateral branches similar in morphology to cortical filaments. After presumed fertilization the zygote (= postfertilization carpogonium) divides transversely and gonimoblast initials are produced from 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.