**3. Species composition and distribution of marine macroalgae of the upper part of the western North Pacific (continental coast of Bering Sea and Commander Islands)**

Up to the present day the general list of marine benthic algae of the western coasts of Bering Sea including Commander Islands based on our own materials contains 193 species, but taking into consideration data from the literature their number totals to 209 ones: 36 species of Chlorophyta, 129 Rhodophyta and 44 Ochrophyta (class Phaeophyceae). The list is considerably enlarged as compared to the previous publications (Selivanova and Zhigadlova, 1997a, b, c; Selivanova, 2002) due to new finds of algal samples and description of new taxa.

The author's own data on the species composition of poorly studied areas of Bering Sea are supplemented with the generalized information from separate literature sources only if this information seems to be reliable. In quoting the data of the other authors I do not always share their opinion on taxonomic status of the species and their nomenclature because quite often the data cited are based on rather old literature or archieve materials, so they are outdated, not taking into account changes in the nomenclature and systematics of algae which have occurred recently. Nevertheless, they are included in the table with corrections, where it is possible, in conformity with modern taxonomic data. The original information of the other authors in the case I do not accept their interpretation of the taxa or doubt in correctness of the species identification is not included in the present list.

Marine Macrophytic Algae of the Western Sector of North Pacific (Russia) 191

On the total there are 44 species of brown algae found up to now on the shelf of the western part of Bering Sea and Commander Islands. The species list is given below in the table

**Order Desmarestiales Family Desmarestiaceae**  *Desmarestia aculeata* (Linnaeus) Lamouroux **CI, K, O**  *Desmarestia ligulata* (Lightfoot) Lamouroux **CI**  *Desmarestia viridis* (O.F. Müller) Lamouroux **CI Order Ectocarpales Family Pylaiellaceae**  *Pylaiella littoralis* (Linnaeus) Kjellman **CI, K,O, NR Family Chordariaceae**  *Chordaria chordaeformis* (Kjellman) Kawai et Kim **O, NR**  *Chordaria flagelliformis* (O.F. Müller) C. Agardh **in all places**  *Coilodesme bulligera* Strömfelt **CI**  *Coilodesme californica* (Ruprecht) Kjellman **CI**  *Delamarea attenuata* (Kjellm.) Rosenv **CI**  *Dictyosiphon foeniculaceus* (Hudson) Greville **CI, K, O, NR**  *Elachista tenuis* Yamada **CI**  *Halothrix lumbricalis* (Kützing) Reinke **K, O**  *Leathesia marina* (Lyngbye) Decaisne **CI**  *Leptonematella fasciculata* (Reinke) Silva **CI, O**  *Melanosiphon intestinalis* (Saund.) Wynne **K, O**  *Punctaria plantaginea* (Roth) Greville **K, O**  *Saundersella simplex* (Saunders) Kylin **OZ, K, O**  *Stictyosiphon tortilis* (Ruprecht) Reinke **O**  *Soranthera ulvoidea* Postels et Ruprecht **CI**  *Streblonema scabiosum* Setchell et Gardner **CI Family Ectocarpaceae**  *Ectocarpus siliculosus* (Dillwyn) Lyngbye **CI, K, O Order Scytosiphonales Family Scytosiphonaceae**  *Analipus filiformis* (Ruprecht) Papenfuss **K, O**  *Analipus japonicus* (Harvey) Wynne **CI, K** 

**Distribution within the studied area** 

**3.1 Species composition and distribution of brown algae in the studied area** 

format (Table 1).

**number Taxon** 

**Record** 

As it was already mentioned marine macrophytic algae of the Commander Islands are studied more thoroughly as compared to the other areas of the Russian Pacific. By the present day the species list of algae of the Islands based on our collections includes 164 species but it is still being enlarged in the process of the material processing. Recently we found there 9 species new for whole Russian Pacific coastal area (Selivanova and Zhigadlova, in press) and described a new taxon of red algae: *Gloiocladia guiryi* (Selivanova) Selivanova (2009). It belongs to the order Rhodymeniales, family Faucheaceae and appears to be the first representative of the genus and the family Faucheaceae to be reported from the Far Eastern seas of Russia though members of the genera *Fauchea* Bory et Montagne in Montagne and *Gloiocladia* J. Agardh were well known from the other areas. They were recorded from the American Pacific coasts (e.g. O'Clair, Lindstrom, 2000; Gabrielson et al., 2000, 2006), from Japan (Yoshida, 1998), Korea (Oak et al., 2005) and China (Xia, Wang, 2000). But our species still remains the only representative of the family Faucheaceae in the Russian Pacifc sector. Originally it was described as *Fauchea guiryi* Selivanova (2008c). However a taxonomic revision of the genus *Fauchea* based on morphologic and moleculargenetic data resulted in the transfer of the overwhelming majority of the species of the genus including the generitype *F. repens* (C. Agardh) Montagne et Bory de Saint-Vincent to the genus *Gloiocladia* (Rodríguez-Prieto et al., 2007). Consequently it caused the necessity of the same transfer of *F. guiryi* to *Gloiocladia*. So a new nomenclatural combination for this species was proposed by me: *Gloiocladia guiryi* (Selivanova) Selivanova (2009).

Earlier one more taxon was described from western Bering Sea (Olytorskii Gulf, Lavrov Bay) and Glubokaya Bay (Selivanova & Zhigadlova, 2003). It represented the genus *Phycodrys* (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) and was named *P. valentinae* Selivanova et Zhigadlova in honour of the well-known Russian phycologist Valentina F. Przhemenetskaya (Makienko) who has been studying marine algae of the Far Eastern seas of Russia for about 30 years. Later this species was also found by us in Avacha Gulf (Starichkov Island, south-eastern Kamchatka) (Selivanova and Zhigadlova, 2009).

The list of marine macroalgae of the Russian continental part of Bering Sea (without Commander Islands) totals to 153 species. Some of them were recorded by as as new for the Far Eastern seas of Russia (e.g. *Palmaria mollis* (Setchell et Gardner) Van der Meer et Bird*, Opuntiella californica* (Farlow) Kylin, *Membranoptera setchellii* Gardner (Selivanova, 2002).

The general list of algae of the western Bering Sea is presented below in the table format (Tables 1-3) for convenience of information retrieval and with the purposes of shortening printed space. Separate tables contain data on algae of 3 major groups of the colour spectrum corresponding to higher taxa: green (Division Chlorophyta), red (Division Rhodophyta) and brown (Division Ochrophyta, class Phaeophyceae).

It should be noted that taxonomic viewpoints of Russian and western phycologists may differ, and that is the case with interpretation of brown algae. According to the first viewpoint this taxon is treated as a class Phaeophyceae within the phylum Heterokontophyta, kingdom Chromista, empire Eukaryota (Guiry and Guiry, 2011). But we prefer to follow Russian concept of Belyakova et al. (2006) and to attribute the class Phaephyceae to the division Ochrophyta, kingdom Straminopila, empire Chromalveolata. Higher taxa (orders within divisions) are arranged in the tables according to their systematic position, while families within the orders, genera within the familes and species within the genera are given in alphabetic order. The list also contains information on the distribution of algae. Abbreviations in the column "Distribution within the studied area" correspond to the names of the areas shown on schematic map (Fig. 1). In addition to the abbreviations adopted in the legend to the figure Commander Islands are abbreviated in the tables as **CI.** 

As it was already mentioned marine macrophytic algae of the Commander Islands are studied more thoroughly as compared to the other areas of the Russian Pacific. By the present day the species list of algae of the Islands based on our collections includes 164 species but it is still being enlarged in the process of the material processing. Recently we found there 9 species new for whole Russian Pacific coastal area (Selivanova and Zhigadlova, in press) and described a new taxon of red algae: *Gloiocladia guiryi* (Selivanova) Selivanova (2009). It belongs to the order Rhodymeniales, family Faucheaceae and appears to be the first representative of the genus and the family Faucheaceae to be reported from the Far Eastern seas of Russia though members of the genera *Fauchea* Bory et Montagne in Montagne and *Gloiocladia* J. Agardh were well known from the other areas. They were recorded from the American Pacific coasts (e.g. O'Clair, Lindstrom, 2000; Gabrielson et al., 2000, 2006), from Japan (Yoshida, 1998), Korea (Oak et al., 2005) and China (Xia, Wang, 2000). But our species still remains the only representative of the family Faucheaceae in the Russian Pacifc sector. Originally it was described as *Fauchea guiryi* Selivanova (2008c). However a taxonomic revision of the genus *Fauchea* based on morphologic and moleculargenetic data resulted in the transfer of the overwhelming majority of the species of the genus including the generitype *F. repens* (C. Agardh) Montagne et Bory de Saint-Vincent to the genus *Gloiocladia* (Rodríguez-Prieto et al., 2007). Consequently it caused the necessity of the same transfer of *F. guiryi* to *Gloiocladia*. So a new nomenclatural combination for this species

Earlier one more taxon was described from western Bering Sea (Olytorskii Gulf, Lavrov Bay) and Glubokaya Bay (Selivanova & Zhigadlova, 2003). It represented the genus *Phycodrys* (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) and was named *P. valentinae* Selivanova et Zhigadlova in honour of the well-known Russian phycologist Valentina F. Przhemenetskaya (Makienko) who has been studying marine algae of the Far Eastern seas of Russia for about 30 years. Later this species was also found by us in Avacha Gulf (Starichkov Island, south-eastern

The list of marine macroalgae of the Russian continental part of Bering Sea (without Commander Islands) totals to 153 species. Some of them were recorded by as as new for the Far Eastern seas of Russia (e.g. *Palmaria mollis* (Setchell et Gardner) Van der Meer et Bird*, Opuntiella californica* (Farlow) Kylin, *Membranoptera setchellii* Gardner (Selivanova, 2002). The general list of algae of the western Bering Sea is presented below in the table format (Tables 1-3) for convenience of information retrieval and with the purposes of shortening printed space. Separate tables contain data on algae of 3 major groups of the colour spectrum corresponding to higher taxa: green (Division Chlorophyta), red (Division

It should be noted that taxonomic viewpoints of Russian and western phycologists may differ, and that is the case with interpretation of brown algae. According to the first viewpoint this taxon is treated as a class Phaeophyceae within the phylum Heterokontophyta, kingdom Chromista, empire Eukaryota (Guiry and Guiry, 2011). But we prefer to follow Russian concept of Belyakova et al. (2006) and to attribute the class Phaephyceae to the division Ochrophyta, kingdom Straminopila, empire Chromalveolata. Higher taxa (orders within divisions) are arranged in the tables according to their systematic position, while families within the orders, genera within the familes and species within the genera are given in alphabetic order. The list also contains information on the distribution of algae. Abbreviations in the column "Distribution within the studied area" correspond to the names of the areas shown on schematic map (Fig. 1). In addition to the abbreviations adopted in the legend to the figure Commander Islands are abbreviated in the tables as **CI.** 

was proposed by me: *Gloiocladia guiryi* (Selivanova) Selivanova (2009).

Rhodophyta) and brown (Division Ochrophyta, class Phaeophyceae).

Kamchatka) (Selivanova and Zhigadlova, 2009).
