NO. 1 TAYLOR: PACIFIC MARINE ALGAE 231 



Gracilaria panamensis n. sp.^^'^ 

 Plate 76, Figs. 1-4 



Plants from a small disklike holdfast arising to a height of 16.5 dm, 

 simple or moderately alternately branched near the base, the branches 

 becoming like the main axis, terete throughout, very slender near the base 

 of the plant, above expanding to 1.5-3.0 mm diam., the branches some- 

 what perceptibly contracted to their bases; outer cortex very small celled, 

 two cells thick, the inner of several layers, a little larger, the medulla of 

 very large thick-walled cells; cystocarps veiy prominent, 0.5-1.25 mm 

 diam., on branches commonly thicker than tetrasporic branches of the 

 same length, the pericarp thick, without trabeculae between it and the 

 placenta. 



These plants seem much more often simple and much larger than the 

 type of Gigartina lemanaeformis Bor>^ (Boiy de St. Vincent 1827-29, p. 

 151), but when they are small and branch relatively freely they resemble 

 closely the type specimen as illustrated by Howe (1914, p. 128, pi. 52, 

 as Cordylecladia lemanaeformis). The surface cells are hardly twice as 

 tall as broad, while in Peruvian material which probably is C. lemanae- 

 forinis they are columnar, 3-4 diameters high. They are much taller, 

 thicker and less branched than G. Sjostedtii as described by Kylin (1930, 

 p. 55). The species is no doubt closely related to G. Sjostedtii of northern 

 waters, but is held separate until the two forms can be connected with 

 assurance. 



Costa Rica: dredged at Pto. Culebra, no. 34-526 (cystocarpic), 24 

 Feb. 1934. Panama: abundant as dredged at sta. 960 from a bottom 

 of sand and coralline algae at 3.5-9.0 meters' depth between I. Taboga 

 and I. Urava, no. 39-625 (cystocarpic and tetrasporic, TYPE), 2 May 

 1939. Ecuador: Archipielago de Colon, dredged at sta. 157 from 18- 

 33 meters' depth off Tagus Cove, I. Isabela, no. 34-187 (tetrasporic and 

 cystocarpic), 15 Jan. 1934. Ibid., common as dredged from 27 meters 

 off Post Office Bay, I. Santa Maria, no. 34-283 (cystocarpic), 19 Jan. 

 1934. Ibid., common as dredged off Academy Bay, I. Santa Cruz, no. 

 34-323 (tetrasporic and cystocarpic), 20 Jan. 1934. Ibid., dredged from 

 36 meters' depth opposite Gordon Rocks, Schmitt no. 316H-34, 8 Dec. 

 1934. Ibid., dredged from 13 meters at sta. 182 near I. Bartolome, I. 



137 Gracilaria panamensis n. sp. — Plantae ad 16.5 dm altitudine, simplices aut 

 prope basim raodice alterneque ramosae, ramis axi similibus, cylindricis, supra ad 

 3.0 mm diam. attingentibus, basibus, autem, saepe constrictis; medulla e cellulis 

 magnis, parietes crassos habentibus constante, cortice externo e stratis duobus cellu- 

 larum minimarum constante. Planta typica in loco dicto I. Taboga, Panamd, legit 

 W. R. Taylor no. 39-625, 2 May 1939. 



