NO. 10 DAWSON : MARINE ALGAE, GULF OF CALIFORNIA 259 



This variable and widely distributed small plant has been recorded 

 from many parts of the world : the coasts of Spain, the Mediterranean 

 and Adriatic, Australia, Easter Island, England, Japan, etc. Recent Pa- 

 cific collections, among which are several specimens from the Gulf of 

 California, have given this species a wide distribution along the western 

 coast of America, from the Galapagos Archipelago to central California. 

 Variation is sometimes extreme, and with our still scanty collections from 

 this very large area it seems hardly advisable to burden the nomenclature 

 with additional names for variations which seem largely ecologic in this 

 plant, notwithstanding the fact that some of them may ultimately be des- 

 ignated as separate entities. Illustrations of the major extremes are given 

 here together with locality citations for all specimens thus far available. 

 From these, any given specimen may at least be conveniently placed with 

 other plants nearest like it. 



Tall forms 12-16 mm. high, with strongly flattened linear-oblong or 

 linear-clavate blades, blunt or frequently attenuated at the ends, com- 

 monly irregularly pinnate-branched or proliferating into narrow lobes. 



H. 367, 659, Galapagos Archipelago; Dodge, H. 783, Costa Rica; 

 D. 79, middle to lower littoral, Guaymas Bay, Jan.; D. 211a, Puerto 

 Refugio, Jan. 



Forms in which the cylindrical lower parts are more conspicuous, fre- 

 quently branched and having flattened, linear-clavate blades which are 

 usually entire. Plants, on the whole, not strongly flattened. 



D. 135c, lower littoral. Turner's Island, Jan.; D. 328, Gonzaga Bay, 

 Jan.; D. & R. 3299, near Guaymas, Dec; D. 783, southern California. 



Small, depauperate forms, 5 mm. high or less. 



H. 479, 479a, Galapagos Archipelago; H. 779a, Costa Rica; H. 

 572h, 569b, Clarion Island; D. 684, near channel at Tiburon Island, 

 July. 



These small forms frequently produce a short stubble over rock sur- 

 faces and may be associated with the following larger form which, with 

 its shorter, broader blades and larger size, forms scattered little tufts and 

 does not give the uniform "furry" appearance of the dwarf form. 



H. 279, 315, 564, 533, Galapagos Archipelago; H. 269, 492, 572, 

 211, Clarion Island. 



Gelidium crinale (Turn.) Lamour. 



Lamouroux, 1825, p. 191; Feldmann & Hamel, 1936, p. 240, f^g. 22; 

 Okamura, Icon. Jap. Alg. Ill, PI. CXLVI. Acrocarpiis crinalis 

 Kiitzing, Tab. Phyc. XVIII, tab. 33. 



