MARINE ALGAL FLORA OF THE CARIBBEAN AND ITS 

 EXTENSION INTO NEIGHBORING SEAS 



By 



Wm. Randolph Taylor 

 University of Michigan 



Studies of the marine algae of the Caribbean Sea and contiguous 

 areas have developed slowly. Our earliest substantial knowledge of the 

 region came from the records of Cuban algae published by Montagne 

 (1842) ; J. G. Agardh added a few Mexican species (1847) but W. H. 

 Harvey's reports of Florida algae (1852-58) served best of all to 

 characterize the flora of the region. Outstanding for the elaborate- 

 ness of their collections is the famous survey of Guadeloupe algae by 

 Maze and Schramm (1870-77). The identification of these Guade- 

 loupe collections by the Crouans is more notable for the acuteness with 

 which they distinguish between samples than for their appreciation of 

 natural species limits. A great number of names of algae from distant 

 seas were incorrectly applied to Guadeloupe plants, and many new 

 species were described on insufficient evidence. These were mistakes 

 easily excused when one remembers the relatively primitive state of phy- 

 cological taxonomy at that time. Murray (1888-89) incorporated many 

 new station records throughout the Caribbean area, but, depending 

 largely on the work of Alaze and Schramm, portrayed a West Indian 

 flora with more endemic species than was justified, and distorted the 

 relationships of the flora by these doubtful names when he prepared his 

 phytogeographical tables. Nevertheless, a close reading of Murray's lists 

 makes the character of the flora clear in its general features and most 

 common genera. Since that time, careful studies on the Virgin Islands 



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