Abstract:
The crustose calcareous alga, Ramicrusta textilis Pueschel and G.W. Saunders (Peyssonneliaceae, Rhodophyta), was recently observed to overgrow dead and living corals in shallow lagoon patch reefs of Dongsha Atoll, South China Sea. DNA barcoding revealed that R. textilis frequently co-occurred in a complex with other crustose algae of the family Peyssonneliaceae and the genus Lobophora, forming patchy crusts that cover 3%-29% of the benthic substrate. This is the first record R. textilis overgrowing corals in the Pacific Ocean.
