Red Algae

Bonnemaisonia hamifera Hariot

Bonnemaisonia hamifera Hariot, 1891:223.

New to the Gulf of California, this species was often found entangled on Sargassum by means of its distinctive hooklike tendrils, though also occurring on other substrates. We found material from the west side of Roca Blanca, Puerto Refugio, (lat. 29°33′04″, long. 113°33′51″) 22 Apr 1974, JN-5802 (GMS) and JN-5284 (US, MEXU), (leg. JN) south to Isla Estanque, (lat. 29°03′36″, long. 113°06′48″) 27 Apr 1974, JN-5579 (ARIZ), (leg. JN and KB).

Numerous additional collections were made at the following localities: off small island, Puerto Refugio, 4.5–9 m depth, 21 Apr 1974, JN-5361 ♀ (US, GMS, UC, ARIZ), (leg. JN and KB); northeast shore of Puerto Refugio, intertidal, 23 Apr 1974, JN-5740 (GMS, AHFH) and JN-5773 (UC), (leg. JN and KB); northwest of rock window on shore, Puerto Refugio, 21 Apr 1974, JN-5315 (US), (leg. JN and KB); Punta la Gringa, Bahía de Los Angeles, 28 Apr 1974, JN-5438 (US, UC), (leg. JN and KB); Isla La Ventana, Bahía de Los Angeles, 15.3–24.6 m depth, May 1972, JN-2989 ♀ (US), (leg. JN and G. Boehlert).

Fertile plants, originally described from Japan (Hariot, 1891), were previously unknown in Mexican collections (Dawson, 1953). Cystocarps observed on JN-5361 and JN-2989 were ellipsoid, surrounded by an ostiolate pericarp, and borne on a short pedicel. The mature cystocarps were 400 μm wide, and 520 μm in height, agreeing with those described by Chihara (1961) for Japanese plants. In the Gulf this species appears to be found only during spring months. Dawson (1961b) recorded this alga from Santa Rosa Island, off southern California, to Punta San Quintín, Baja California del Norte. A single earlier collection from Puerto Refugio, identified as Acrosymphyton caribaeum (Norris, 1972:10, pl. 2), is now recognized to be Bonnemaisonia hamifera. The alternate phase in the life history of this species, Trailliella intricata, has not been found in the Gulf.