256 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 17 



Type locality : On rocks in the middle littoral, La Jolla, Calif. 



Mexican distribution: Pacific Baja Calif. — Fork, Oct. 13, 

 1945, Punta Banda. 



The extremely irregular, mixed dichotomous-pinnate-palmate branch- 

 ing and the flat but thick, ± contorted segments are distinctive of this 

 species. 



Grateloupia versicolor (J. Agardh) J. Agardh 



PI. 6, fig. 48 



J. Agardh 1847, p. 10. Grateloupia sternbergii var. ? versicolor J. 

 Agardh 1851, p. 182; Kylin 1941, fig. 3C, pi. 2, fig. 6. Grateloupia 

 filicina (Wulf.) Ag., as interpreted by Taylor 1945, p. 204. 



Recent Mexican collections from the tropical cape district of Baja 

 California include ample fertile specimens which are apparently iden- 

 tical with the Liebmann type of Grateloupia vesicolor. The actual type 

 specimens have not been seen, but Kylin (1941) gives a good photograph 

 and a transectional illustration which, together with Agardh's descrip- 

 tion, are enough to permit me to match my material convincingly. Not 

 only do the Baja California specimens agree well, but so also do collec- 

 tions from southern Sinaloa, Guerrero and Oaxaca. All of these have 

 the variegated coloring described by Agardh, and for which the species is 

 named. 



An examination of the type material of Sphaerococcus sternbergii 

 C. Ag., which Kylin (1941) considered conspecific with Grateloupia 

 veriscolor has not convinced me that the two are identical. Not only is 

 there a marked difference in color and details of branching, but the 

 structure of S. sternbergii appears to be like that of Zanardinula. Inas- 

 much as the origin of S. sternbergii is unknown it seems unwise to at- 

 tempt to identify it with G. versicolor, which can be reestablished quite 

 clearly through the new collections and may be described as follows: 



Thalli 3-4.5 cm. high, consisting of several to many narrow, flat- 

 tened, branched erect parts from an irregular discoid holdfast; erect 

 parts arising and branching directly from the holdfast or a short dis- 

 tance above, sometimes substipitate and compressed near the base, irre- 

 gularly dichotomo-pinnate throughout, the segments mostly 1.5-2.0 mm. 

 broad, reaching 3-4 mm. broad above, 300-500 fx thick, the main branches 

 linear-lanceolate in general shape, often with short lobe-like proliferous 

 pinnae; color dull purplish, the upper, broader segments with a con- 

 spicuously greenish, variegated coloring ; transection showing a moderate- 

 ly dense medulla of ramified filaments, these mostly longitudinally ar- 

 ranged toward the center, outwardly the cells partially inflated and ± 



