Benthic marine flora of the Mediterranean Sea: RHODOPHYTA - Rhodimeniophy- cidae III. Ceramiales I: (excluding RHODOMELACEAE)

Abstract

In this third contribution on the Rhodymeniophycidae (the fourth of the Rhodophyta) is treated the Order Ceramiales with the exclusion of the RHODOMELACEAE that will be the subject of a further (and last) contribution on the "Benthic marine flora of the Mediterranean Sea" (excluding the Black Sea). After an introduction in which the taxonomic history of this vast and complex Order of the Rhodophyta is summarized and a table is provided which summarizes, on the basis of the most recent phylogenetic researches the current subdivision of the Order in Families, Subfamilies and Tribes, an identification key of the treated taxa is reported. The Families and Subfamilies are treated according to the phylogenetic order adopted in the above mentioned table, while the Tribes and the corresponding genera are treated according to the alphabetical order. Following a taxonomic-nomenclatural update, the accepted taxa at a specific and infraspecific level present in the Mediterranean Sea resulted 172. They are grouped into 57 Genera, 29 Tribes and 4 Families. Furthermore, 52 taxa at the specific and infraspecific levels were considered as taxa excludenda; 67 taxa, at specific and infraspecific level, were considered as taxa inquirenda (2 of them are also excludenda). Finally, 50 illegitimate names (7 of them are also inquirenda), 41 invalidly published names, 11 invalid combinations and 19 isonyms are reported. Furthermore, 8 new combinations are proposed, 5 of which for species not present in the Mediterranean Sea. Of each treated taxon a brief description, preceded by both iconographic references and references reporting its distribution in the Mediterranean Sea, is given. Moreover, the treatment of most taxa is enriched with illustrations, bilingual notes (Italian and English) supporting either synonymies indicated, or the taxonomic choices followed or the reasons for which the taxon was considered inquirendum and/or excludendum or the nomenclatural conclusions. The work is completed by a glossary, an index of all the names of taxa mentioned in the text and by an errata corrige to the work of Cormaci et al. (2021).