The marine green and brown algae of Rodrigues (Mauritius, Indian Ocean)

The marine benthic green and brown macroalgae of Rodrigues, collected during an expedition in October 2001, are documented and 18 of the 60 taxa of Chlorophyta (53 species) and 18 species of Phaeophyceae are illustrated. Fifty taxa of green and 12 taxa of brown algae are added to the existing species list of the island. Turf algae and smaller epiphytic species are not or are only sporadically included in this study. All records are listed with bibliographic, biogeographic, taxonomic and nomenclatural comments. Infrageneric identification keys are included. The new combination Caulerpa mexicana var. exposita is proposed and the discovery of a new Udotea species is mentioned. The algal flora of Rodrigues is of a typical Indian Ocean composition but appears to be relatively poor when compared to the nearby island of Mauritius.