MARINE ALG/E OF BEAUFORT, N. C. ( AND ADJACENT REGIONS. 



By W. D. HOYT, 

 Professor of Biology, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va. 



Contribution from the United States Fisheries Biological Station, Beaufort, N. C. 



INTRODUCTION. 



It has generally been believed that the greater part of our Atlantic' coast is barren 

 in respect to an algal flora. Although a number of species have been recorded from 

 Norfolk, Va., and Charleston, S. C., and a few isolated collections have been made at 

 points in North Carolina and elsewhere, Johnson (1900) recording between 25 and 30 

 species for Beaufort, it has generally been held that from Long Island Sound to Florida 

 few individuals or species of algae are to be found. The reason usually assigned for 

 this sterility has been the supposed lack of places suitable for attachment afforded by 

 the sandy coast of this region. While this belief is justified for the greater part of the 

 area, the present studies have shown that it is not warranted for the entire region. 

 One hundred and forty-two species and varieties have been observed here by the 

 author, all but 10 of these being found at Beaufort. While this number is not large 

 compared with 525 recorded for New England and 744 reported for Great Britain, a 

 single locality yielding 132 species and varieties can not be called barren. 



The area included in these studies extends from Ocracoke, N. C., to Tybee, Ga. 

 (lat. from 35 to 32 N., map i), but by far the greatest part of the work was done at 

 Beaufort, N. C. (lat. 34 43' N.), only occasional visits being made to other localities. 

 Studies in the region of Beaufort were made at the United States Fisheries Biological 

 Station at that place from June or July to September or October during the years 

 1903-1909. Trips of a few days' duration were made to Beaufort by the author in 

 May, 1907, and April, 1908, and monthly collections of all species observed were made 

 by the laboratory staff from November, 1908, to June, 1909. Visits to regions other 

 than Beaufort were made, as follows: Ocracoke, N. C., August, 1907; Wrightsville 

 Beach, N. C., July, August, and September, 1909; Southport, N. C., Georgetown, 

 S. C., and Pawley's Island (near Georgetown), August, 1909; Charleston, S. C., July 

 and August, 1909; Port Royal, S. C., and Tybee, Ga., August, 1909. In addition to 

 these algae, the author has studied two small but interesting collections made by Lewis 

 Radcliffe on the coral reefs offshore from Beaufort in August, 1914, and several collec- 

 tions made offshore in this region, principally in the vicinity of the coral reef, by the 

 Fish Hawk, in July and August, 1915. 



