118 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL.17 



Jania natalensis Harvey 



Plate 27, figs. 1-2 



Harvey, 1847, p. 107. Jania mexicana Taylor, as interpreted by 

 Dawson, 1949, p. 218. 



Thalli saxicolous, forming clumps to 7 cm. high, usually of a dull 

 grey-pink color, consisting of many densely massed, erect, cylindrical, 

 richly-branched parts from a crustose basal stratum; branching dicho- 

 tomous throughout, with narrow angles, the upper branches tending to 

 be uniformly curved, scarcely attenuated ; intergenicula more or less 

 uniform in diameter throughout, 200-300 /x. in diameter (to 350-400 /i, 

 in coarse specimens), nearly always much longer than broad, usually 

 3-5 diameters long, but of irregular length and partly to 8-9 diameters 

 long; apices obtuse-conical; tetrasporangial conceptacles not abundant, 

 400-450 /t in diameter, forming the terminal bulge of short-clavate 

 terminal segments, bi- or tri-antenniferous, the antennae sometimes 

 developing into branches ; sexual plants not seen in the Pacific American 

 specimens. 



Type: Holotype is a collection by Dr. Gueinzius, probably in the 

 Harvey Herbarium, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. 



Type locality : Port Natal, South Africa. 



Pacific coast distribution: California — D. 5777, 9583, Point 

 Dume, Los Angeles Co., Nov.; Cooper 196, Topanga Canyon mouth, 

 Los Angeles Co., May; D. 9594, Corona del Mar, Jan.; Cooper 50, 

 Laguna Beach, Dec; D. 5334, 5441, 5378 (Oct.), D. 325, 6052 (Jan.), 

 Stephenson JA34 (Dec), La Jolla. Pacific Baja Calif. — D. 213, 8 km. 

 south of Punta Descanso, Jan. ; D. 2855, just south of Punta Santa 

 Rosalia, Oct.; D. 1392, Millers Landing, Apr.; Williams 4/30/46, 

 Laguna Ojos Liebre (Scammon), Apr.; D. 9862, South Bay, Isla 

 Cedros, Apr.; D. 10032, 11 miles west of Punta Malarrimo, Bahia 

 Vizcaino, Apr. 



A comparison of our California and Mexican material with speci- 

 mens from the Cape Peninsula of South Africa (det. A. V. Manza) and 

 from Kangaroo Island, South Australia (det. H. B. S. Womersley) has 

 revealed no appreciable or consistent differences. 



This species resembles Jania mexicana Taylor in habit, but is dis- 

 tinctly larger in all respects and has more irregularly elongate segments. 

 It is the coarsest species of our coast and seems to be confined to the 

 warmest intertidal localities along the southern California and north- 

 western Baja California coasts. 



