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Benthic Marine Algae of Rotuma Island 381
Habitat and Remarks
Found in generally exposed locations, growing in dense circular clumps on the outer reef,
often epizoic on living soft coral heads. Where it occurs together with var. clavifera, the
latter tends to occupy the back reef area while var. uvifera dominates the outer reef face,
sometimes forming a cover several m2 in area, as at Lopta. This alga is edible, and used in
traditional Rotuman dishes as a salad with coconut milk and lemon juice. It is locally known
as lum ne Po.
Intermediate variety between Caulerpa racemosa (Forsskbl) J. Agardh var, turbinata and
var. peltata: Coppejans and Beeckman 1989: 391, pl. 4, fig. 29; Coppejans 1992: 403;
Coppejans and Prud'homme van Reine 1992b: 701, fig, 17A; South and N'Yeurt 1993: 130,
fig. 25.
Plants up to 3 cm long, with no distinct spreading stolon; the foliar branches bearing
peltate to sub-discoid or turbinate, terminally inflated ramelli, often on the same branch.
There exists a great variety of intermediate forms between the ramelli on a single plant, from
characteristically dentate and undulated discs 1.3-1.5 mm in diameter to turbinate, trumpet-
shaped ramelli up to 1 mm in diameter. However, the peltate ramelli are slightly thicker than
in var. peltata, while the turbinate ramelli have somewhat more flattened ends than occurs in
var, turbinata. Hence, it appears to be a distinct intermediate variety, with branchlets
numerous on a single upright axis.
Distribution
Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Kenya.
Fijian Record
New record for Fiji.
Rotuman Distribution
Lopta (L9/ USP 442).
Habitat and Remarks
Generally found on the outer reef, together with var. uvifera and var. turbinata, where it is
more abundant than the latter.
Caulerpa serrulata (Forsskbl) J. Agardh 1837: 174; Gilbert 1942: 14 (incl. var. typica f.
serrulata); 1946: 78; Eubank 1946: 418, fig. 2h-j; Taylor 1950: 57, pl. 30, fig. 1; 1960: 145,
pl. 14, fig. 5; 1966: 351; 1977: 10 (as var. serrulata); Egerod 1952: 369; Dawson 1954: 393,
fig. 10a; 195d: 38, fig. 23; 1957: 105; Moul 1957: 41; 1959: 164; Gilbert 1961: 440; Meiiez
1961: 53; Trono 1968: 169, pl. 14, figs 1-2; pl. 16, fig. 4, 8; pl. 17, fig. 9; Valet 1968: 43, pl.
9, fig. 1; Womersley and Bailey 1970: 276; Jaasund 1976: 23, fig. 48; Tsuda and Wray 1977:
95; Meiiez and Calumpong 1982: 9, pl. 2E, Dong and Tseng 1984: 284, pl. 141, fig. 1; Payri
and Meinesz 1985a: 507; Trono 1986: 218, fig. 14; Lewis 1987: 24; Lewis and Norris 1987:
9; Silva et al. 1987: 108; Garrigue and Tsuda 1988: 58; Abbott 1989: 226; Coppejans and
Beeckman 1989: 120, figs 24, 25; Littler et al. 1989: 44; Tsuda 1991: 41; Coppejans 1992:
403; Coppejans and Prud'homme van Reine 1992a: 174; 19926: 701, fig. 20B; Ohba and
Enomoto 1992: 28; Verheij and Prud'homme van Reine 1993: 125, pl. 2, fig. 8.
Fucus serrulatus Forsskbl 1775: 189 (type locality: Mokha, Yemen).
Caulerpa freycinetii C. Agardh 1822a: 446 (type locality Manana 1.) (see Berrgesen 1932:
5); Weber-van Bosse 1898: 310, pl. 25, figs 4-11; pl. 26, fig. 1-6; 1913a: 102; Okamura
1913: 18, pl. 105, figs 1-3 (var. typica f. lata); 1931: 101; Tsuda and Wray 1977: 94; Lewis
and Norris 1987: 9 (as var. freycinetti f. lata Weber-van Bosse).