A PRELIMINARY ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE CHINESE MARINE ALGAL FLORA

1. On the basis of published data and materials to be published soon, there are 681 species of Chinese marine algae, including 143 species of Chlorophyta belonging to 37 genera and 19 families, 1 species of Xanthophyta, 145 species of Phaeophyta belonging to 47 genera and 20 families, 54 species of Cyanophyta belonging to 13 genera and 12 families, and 338 species of Rhodophyta belonging, to 106 genera and 32 families. With very few exceptions these are benthic marine, algae of the littoral region.2. On the Chinese Yellow Sea coast, there are 242 species of marine algae in which are 45 species of Chlorophyta, 1 species of Xanthophyta, 52 species of Phaeophyta, 48 species of Cyanophyta and 96 species of Rhodophyta. Analysis of the macroscopic species by biological and geographical methods for the determination of their temperature nature results showed that the Western Yellow Sea marine flora is predominately temperate in nature, being more warm temperature than cold temperate. In the composition of this flora, the two principal geographical groups are the northwestern Pacific species, constituting 43% of the total, and species widely distributed on the coasts of the North Hemisphere oceans, constituting 47%. This flora is very closely related to the marine flora of Northern Japan Sea and that of the Japanese Pacific coast.3. Very little information regarding the marine flora of the Western East China Sea coast was available for the analytical study, and so far, only 16 species of Chloro-phyta, 15 species of Phaeophyta and 30 species of Rhodophyta, totalling at 61 species, have been definitely reported from this region. A comparison of this flora with that of the Western Yellow Sea showed that the cold water elements of the latter flora are all absent, cold temperate species greatly reduced in number, and warm temperate and subtropical species have proportionately increased, with warm temperate elements predominating.4. There are 519 species of Chinese marine algae so far known definitely from the South China Sea. These include 117 species of Chlorophyta, 113 species of Phaeophyta, 14 species of Cyanophyta and 275 species of Rhodophyta. Analytical studies of these algae showed that the marine flora of the South China Sea coast is subtropical being closely related to that of subtropical Japan, while the marine flora of Hainana and Taiwan and of the coral islands, such as the Pratas and the Paracel Islands is tropical in nature. Judging from the nature closely related to that of Indo-Malay subregion, both belonging to the Indo-West-Pacific marine flora.