Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2001, Page 38

42 CORALLINE RED ALGAE (CORALLINALES, RHODOPHYTA) OF THE FAROEISLANDS
the comprehensive work on coralline red
algae from the British Isles (Irvine and
Chamberlain, 1994), offer the opportunity
to compare the records from the Faroe Is-
lands with other recent investigations in the
northeastern North Atlantic. Most of the re-
ported species are common to all areas, but
Clathromorphum circumscriptum has only
been recorded from the Faroe Islands. An
earlier record from the British Isles was
shown to be a misidentification (Chamber-
lain and Irvine, 1994b). The species repre-
sents an Arctic or northem element of the
flora as it is well known from westem
Greenland (Wegeberg, pers. obs.) and Ice-
land (Caram and Jónsson, 1972). Litho-
phyllum incrustans and L. orbiculatum are
recorded from the British Isles (Chamber-
lain and Irvine, 1994a) and Norway (Brat-
tegaard and Holthe, 1997) as well as the
Faroe Islands. They are, however, not
recorded in the recent investigation in the
Sogn and Fjordane district, Norway (Lein
et al., 1998; 1999). The former confusion
between L. crouanii and L. orbiculatum,
mentioned above (see also Chamberlain et
al., 1988), makes it difficult to evaluate the
full extent of their distribution in the north-
eastem North Atlantic. However, as the
record of L. orbiculatum from Iceland by
Caram and Jónsson (1972) was a misiden-
tification of L. crouanii (Chamberlain et
al., 1991), and as both L. incrustans and L.
orbiculatum are recorded as far south as the
Mediterranean (Chamberlain and Irvine,
1994a), these species probably represent a
southern element of the coralline flora on
the Faroe Islands. Phymatolithon laeviga-
tum is widespread throughout all areas, al-
though not observed in the recent investi-
gation of the flora in the Sogn and Fjordane
district of Norway (Lein etai, 1998; 1999)
and not recorded for Iceland (Caram and
Jónsson, 1972). Therefore this species may
be on the edge of its distribution in the
northeastern North Atlantic and represents
a more southernly element of the Faroe Is-
lands’ flora. This is in agreement with
Børgesen’s (1905) conclusion that the
Faroe Islands represents the northem distri-
butional limit of P. laevigatum.
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to all staff members at the Kalđbak
Marine Biological Laboratory, to colleagues, and stu-
dents who participated in the fieldwork and assisted in
many ways in the field as well as in the laboratory.
Thanks are also due to Yvonne M. Chamberlain for
reading and improving the manuscript. Peer Corfixen,
Botanical Museum, Copenhagen, maintained the data-
base. The programme was supported financially by the
Carlsberg Foundation.
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