BOOK REVIEW Kraft, G. T. 2007. Algae of Australia: Marine Benthic ...

J. Phycol. 44, 834–837 (2008)Ó 2008 Phycological Society of AmericaDOI: 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2008.00529.xBOOK REVIEWKraft, G. T. 2007. Algae of Australia: Marine BenthicAlgae of Lord Howe Island and the Southern GreatBarrier Reef, 1. Green Algae. Australian BiologicalResources Study and CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood,Victoria, Australia, 356 pp. AU$125. ISBN:9780643094321.It was with great pleasure that I agreed to reviewthis book. One reason was that after having metGerry Kraft in Sydney in 1998, I realized Gerry’sprofound knowledge of seaweed taxonomy, next tohis kindness and collegiality. A second reason wasthat after a first glance at the book, I already hadthe impression that I would be able to use numeroussuperlatives. This assumption was confirmedafter detailed reading.W. H. Harvey initiated research on Australianalgae with his five-volume Phycologia Australica(1858–1863). H. B. S. Womersley (2003) recentlypublished the last of a six-volume series, The MarineBenthic Flora of Southern Australia (1984–2003), doublingthe number of genera (over 460) and species(1,137) of that continent and confirming theextreme diversity of marine benthic photosyntheticorganisms in this warm-temperate region. Recently,the series Algae of Australia was started in 2006, ofwhich this is the fourth volume. It is the first oneon the seaweeds from Lord Howe Island and surroundings.Kraft was a student of Womersley, and after histhesis in 1974, he sought other exotic destinationsin which to continue his research. He was drawn toLord Howe Island, an isolated volcanic outcrop,about 770 km north of Sydney and about a third ofthe way between Australia and New Zealand. Hisinterest was piqued after learning that the islandemerged in the middle of the Tasman Sea over sixmillion years ago, has never been connected to anymajor landmass, and is home to the world’s southernmostcoral reef. In spite of this potential for newdiscoveries, only two studies had previously reportedon the marine plants of Lord Howe Island, one byZanardini (1874), who never visited the island, andthe other by Lucas (1935).Kraft embarked on his first collecting trip to theisland in 1976. As elsewhere in Australia, red algaecontribute far more species than do the green andbrown algae together. Gradually, interest was growingin the southern group of reefs and cays of theGreat Barrier Reef, known collectively as Capricorniaor the Capricorn Group, as these were expectedto be the most likely sources for species should thebulk of flora on Lord Howe Island prove to havetropical links. Originally, the focus of studies in theHeron and One Tree islands area was the deepwaterred algae. Very soon, indications of a rich but largelyunknown deepwater flora appeared, with aremarkably high number of green algae that inhabitthe coral banks and deep channels around theseislands, especially in the Wistari Channel.A series of scientific publications on the seaweedflora of that region (Kraft 2000) or on specificgroups (Allender and Kraft 1983, Kraft 1984,1986a,b, Kraft and Olsen-Stojkovich 1985, Kraft andWynne 1996, Kraft and Millar 2005) has alreadyresulted from this research program. This book,being the first one of a series on the seaweeds fromLord Howe Island and surroundings, is based onover 2,000 pressed herbarium specimens of greenalgae in addition to more than 400 formalin-preservedsamples and several hundred microscopeslides, deposited at the Herbarium, School of Botany,University of Melbourne (MELU). Of course,data and illustrations from the previous publications(mainly from Kraft 2000 on Lord Howe Island’sbenthic green algae) are included in this book, butthe descriptions as well as the discussions and illustrationshave been rewritten, completed, implemented,and remounted. Moreover, the speciescollected in Capricornia have been added.In the introduction, maps, and descriptions aregiven of the islands, reefs, cays, and channels wherespecimens were collected: Lord Howe Island; BallsPyramid; Wheatsheaf Islet; and the CapricornGroup with numerous islands and reefs, includingHeron, Wilson, and One Tree islands and WistariReef, localities where most collections were made.Lord Howe Island was conferred with World Heritagelisting in 1982. More recently, the Lord HoweIsland Marine Park was declared by both the NewSouth Wales and commonwealth governments.Tightly controlled residential and tourist developmenthas left over 75 percent of the island in analmost pristine state, and the island’s conservationwas promoted.According to the book (pp. 7–8), the likely affinitiesof the green algae of Lord Howe Island can begrouped in five categories: (1) those widespread inthe world’s warm seas, (2) those virtually cosmopolitanin cold and warm waters, (3) those previouslyknown only from the Northern Hemisphere (i.e., allnew Southern Hemisphere records), (4) thosemostly known previously from the Indian Ocean,and (5) the endemics. As expected, the most biogeographicalaffiliations appear to be to the GreatBarrier Reef rather than to adjacent and lower834

836 BOOK REVIEWbiogeographical distribution, the citation of referencespecimen(s), and eventually additional specimensthat were examined. Another outstandingfeature of the book is the thorough discussion followingeach species description. Depending on thetaxon, either a historical review is given on the viewsof different phycologists on the placement of a speciesin one genus rather than in another, or on synonymiesversus separation of species beingsuggested by them. For other taxa, variability ofcharacters is discussed for both field conditions aswell as culture experiments. Finally, in some cases,recent phylogenetic relationships (from literature)are added, ensuring that this book is at the forefrontof phycological taxonomy.In some cases, previously reported species fromthe region are excluded (e.g., Caulerpa fastigiata orC. brownii) because study of the reference materialeither proves it does not belong to that taxon (forC. fastigiata) or most probably has been inadvertentlymixed with specimens coming from cooler,continental Australian regions (for C. brownii). Inthe genus Valonia, the exclusion of the three speciescollected by Cribb (1984) from Capricornia reefflats, V. aegagropila, V. fastigiata, and V. macrophysa,seems less evident to the reader. On the one hand,it is astonishing that Kraft’s own collection of 2,000herbarium specimens of green algae from thatregion does not contain these species. On the otherhand, the statement that ‘‘these species are notdealt with here because there is no fresh materialby which to adequately illustrate them’’ is not veryconvincing (Kraft 2007, p. 121). As a result, onlyV. ventricosa and V. nutrix are included in the identificationkey and species descriptions of the genus,complicating the possibility of future phycologistsidentifying the other species.The genus Codium is well represented by eightspecies, of which one is a new species, C. reversum.This species somewhat forms an intermediatebetween the genera Codium (presenting siphonplugs) and Pseudocodium (bulbous utricles lackinghairs and gametangia and tendency for chloroplaststo be concentrated in the siphons rather than inutricles; De Clerck et al. 2008). Some specimensfrom northern Papua New Guinea, deposited inGENT, and identified as Codium sp. share the samecharacters and should be reexamined. If they areconfirmed as belonging to C. reversum, this specieswould no longer be an endemic for the north-centraland southern Great Barrier Reef.As the genus Caulerpa is one of my favorites, Iread that chapter with great interest. I highly appreciatedthe discussion and conclusions on C. peltataand C. racemosa. One can only wonder why the differentvarieties of C. cupressoides, C. webbiana, and C.racemosa cannot be keyed out, whereas both varietiesof C. peltata are included in the key.The genus Halimeda is coauthored by JoanneNoble who wrote her MSc thesis on the rich Halimedaflora (16 spp.) of the Capricorn Group. Thischapter was also discussed with H. Verbruggen, aworld specialist on the genus. A new species is proposed,H. cereidesmis, with strikingly distinct anatomicalcharacters. It is only known from the typecollection. In H. gracilis, a new form is described, f.triloba, also only known from the type locality. However,some H. gracilis specimens from Sri Lanka,deposited in GENT, agree with the description ofthis form, pointing to the possible nonendemicity ofthis taxon.The genera Rhipilia (2 spp.), Rhipiliopsis (5 spp.),and Rhipiliella (1 sp.) were previously published(Kraft 1986a) in a monographic paper on representativesfrom Australia and the Philippines. In theKraft (2000) publication on Lord Howe Island, onlytwo species of Rhipiliopsis are included since theother taxa were only collected in Capricornia. Thespecies included here have been provided with newillustrations of incredible detail and quality andrewritten descriptions.In the discussion on Bryopsis indica, Kraft is awareof the differing opinions about the distinctionbetween, versus conspecificity with, B. pennata.Based on my own field experience in the IndianOcean, I would disagree with his conclusion andidentify his specimens as B. pennata. Molecular studiesshould clarify species boundaries in this genus asmorphology seems to be highly variable.Although nice books on Dasycladales haveappeared recently, Kraft succeeds in illustratingsome crucial characters not previously published.At the end of the book, an extensive bibliographyis given (pp. 300–18), and new taxa and combinationsare added in an appendix (pp. 319–25). Personally,I am not really convinced of the value ofsome newly described species, such as Boergeseniamagna, which might only be a growth form ofB. forbesii, based on material from the East Africancoast. If they appear to be distinct, analysis of thelarge, isolated specimens from other areas mightshow that B. magna is not an endemic from thesouthern Great Barrier Reef but has been overlookedas a distinct species in other geographicareas.Finally, a very extensive glossary (pp. 326–38) anda list of abbreviations and contractions (pp. 339–41)are given, followed by the index.One notable error is the fact that figures 72 and73 are identical, illustrating Halimeda micronesica.The legend of figure 73 (H. gracilis) is correct, butthe illustrations of this species are missing, aregrettable error, which is all the more painful asthe missing plate should include the only illustrationof the newly described H. gracilis f. triloba.Apparently, the plate will be added in the next volumeon brown algae, which will appear by the endof 2008.The identification keys, detailed descriptions, upto-datediscussions, and illustrations of even the

BOOK REVIEW 837most minute characters make this volume a mustfor the taxonomist. Even for the nontaxonomist,the superb illustrations make it a very nice photobook. For those working on seaweeds from tropicalregions, it will certainly be continuously on theworking table. It is definitely on mine!Eric CoppejansPhycology Research GroupGhent UniversityKrijgslaan 281, S89000 Ghent, BelgiumAllender, B. M. & Kraft, G. T. 1983. The marine algae of Lord HoweIsland (New South Wales): the Dictyotales and Cutleriales(Phaeophyta). Brunonia 6:73–130.Cribb, A. B. 1984. Algal vegetation of the Capricornia Section,Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. In Ward, W. T. & Saenger, P.[Eds.] The Capricornia Section of the Great Barrier Reef: Past,Present and Future. Royal Society of Queensland, Brisbane,Australia, pp. 79–86.De Clerck, O., Verbruggen, H., Huisman, J. M., Faye, E. J., Leliaert,F., Schils, T. & Coppejans, E. 2008. Systematics and biogeographyof the genus Pseudocodium (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta),including the description of P. natalense sp. nov. from SouthAfrica. Phycologia 47:225–35.Harvey, W. H. 1858–1863. Phycologia Australica. Vol. 1–5. LovellReeve, London.Kraft, G. T. 1984. The red algal genus Predaea (Nemastomataceae,Gigartinales) in Australia. Phycologia 23:3–20.Kraft, G. T. 1986a. The green algal genera Rhipiliopsis A. & E.S.Gepp and Rhipiliella gen. nov. (Udoteaceae, Bryopsidales) inAustralia and the Philippines. Phycologia 25:47–72.Kraft, G. T. 1986b. The genus Gibsmithia (Dumontiaceae, Rhodophyta)in Australia. Phycologia 25:423–47.Kraft, G. T. 2000. Marine and estuarine benthic green algae(Chlorophyta) of Lord Howe Island, south-western Pacific.Aust. Syst. Bot. 13:509–648.Kraft, G. T. & Millar, A. J. K. 2005. Struvea thoracica sp. nov.(Cladophorophyceae), a new deep-water chlorophyte from theGreat Barrier Reef and New Caledonia. Phycologia 44:305–11.Kraft, G. T. & Olsen-Stojkovich, J. 1985. Avrainvillea calithina(Udoteaceae, Bryopsidales), a new green alga from Lord HoweIsland, NSW, Australia. Phycologia 24:339–45.Kraft, G. T. & Wynne, M. J. 1996. Delineation of the genera StruveaSonder and Phyllodictyon J.E. Gray (Cladophorales, Chlorophyta).Phycol. Res. 44:129–42.Lucas, A. H. S. 1935. Marine algae of Lord Howe Island. Proc. Linn.Soc. New South Wales 60:194–232.Womersley, H. B. S. 2003. The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia,Rhodophyta, Part IIID, Ceramiales – Delesseriaceae, Sarcomeniaceae,Rhodomelaceae. Australian Biological ResourcesStudy, Canberra, Australia, 533 pp.Zanardini, G. 1874. Phyceae australicae novae vel minus cognitae.Flora 57:486–90.