Occurrence of rare coralline red algae Mastophora rosea (C. Agardh) Setchell, from Little Andaman, India

Abstract

Coralline red algae Mastophora rosea (Corallinaceae, Corallinales, Rhodophyta) were collected from tide pools from Little Andaman during August 2013. Collected sample was found to be bluish purple in color, dichotomously branched, round shaped carpogonial conceptacles were found on the surface of thallus, tetrasporangial open pore size 120 µm was spherical in shape. The algae was identified up to species level and was found to be a new distributional record to Andaman and Nicobar islands.