Craig Schneider

• Ph.D.
• Professor Emeritus at Trinity College

Crassitegula (Sebdeniaceae, Sebdeniales) is a relatively new genus of red algae, currently consisting of three species, that was first described based on a western Atlantic species in 2006. In the present paper, two species of Crassitegula are newly described from the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas, both being first detected using COI-5P barcodin...

Four species of the genus Wrangelia are presently known from the western Atlantic Ocean: W. argus , W. bicuspidata , W. penicillata, and W. gordoniae , with the first three historically being reported from Bermuda. Morphological and molecular barcode (COI‐5P) and phylogenetic analyses used in this study (SSU, LSU, rbc L) indicated eight species gro...

During a genetic analysis of western Atlantic Wrangeliaceae J.Agardh, specimens closely related to the generitype of Lophothamnion J.Agardh fell into a clade including the generitype of the earlier described Pleonosporium Nägeli, causing us to subsume the former genus. Two new species are described, P. novae-angliae G.W.Saunders & C.W.Schneider, sp...

Continuing molecular studies of the red algal genus Dasya collected off the coast of Bermuda have revealed two new species in the developing D. cryptica species complex – one from each the euphotic and mesophotic zones, D. orae sp. nov. and D. bathypelagica sp. nov., respectively. Furthermore, what was known as D. baillouviana in Bermuda is shown t...

The fifth addendum to Schneider and Wynne’s 2007 “A synoptic review of the classification of red algal genera a half century after Kylin’s 1956 ‘ Die Gattungen der Rhodophyceen ’” is presented, covering the names of genus- and higher-level taxa added or modified since our fourth addendum ( Bot. Mar. 62: 355–367). Since the original compilation, we...

In the last decade, molecular tools have revealed a significant number of previously unrecognized taxa in Bermuda's marine flora, especially among the Rhodophyta. A number of species have been persistently misidentified based on morphological similarities to species described from other localities. Some have been assigned to existing taxa not previ...

Southern New England and New York specimens of Spyridia ‘ filamentosa ’ were sequenced for the mitochondrial COI-5P and chloroplastic rbc L genes and determined to be distinct from Mediterranean (type locality) specimens of the same taxon. A little-known species name, Spyridia americana Durant, is applied to specimens collected from the northeaster...

The red alga Dasya sylviae C.W.Schneid., M.M.Cassidy & G.W.Saunders sp. nov. is described from mesophotic depths of 60–90 m off Bermuda. Genetic sequences (COI-5P, rbcL) and morphological characteristics show that this species is distinct from other known pseudodichotomous species of Dasya. Of ten current species in the genus reported from Bermuda,...

Based upon COI-5P, LSU rDNA and rbcL sequence data, as well as its morphological characteristics, a new red algal species, Eucheumatopsis sanibelensis E.S.Peterson, C.W.Schneider et G.W.Saunders sp. nov., was discovered on the Gulf coast of Florida, USA and shown to be distinct from the generitype E. isiformis with a type locality in the eastern Ca...

Using mitochondrial COI-5P and plastid rbcL sequences, as well as morphological characteristics, two new species of Solieriaceae are added to the flora of Bermuda. Specimens collected over the past two decades representing those distributed in the early exsiccata, Phycotheca boreali-americana as Eucheuma gelidium (= Meristotheca gelidium) are shown...

The mesophotic zone off the coast of Bermuda has been explored for macroalgae beginning with the R/V Seahawk cruises of the 1980s and most recently on the Nekton XL Catlin cruise of the R/V Baseline Explorer in 2016. In this paper, we present two new members of the Halymeniaceae discovered on these missions based upon a combined ML analysis of mito...

Worldwide coral reefs face catastrophic damage due to a series of anthropogenic stressors. Investigating how coral reefs ecosystems are connected, in particular across depth, will help us understand if deeper reefs harbour distinct communities. Here, we explore changes in benthic community structure across 15-300 m depths using technical divers and...

When DNA sequences from Bermuda plants described as Codium isthmocladum ssp. clavatum and a recent collection from Florida originally thought to be C. decorticatum were analyzed, they were found to be a genetic match to the Pacific Mexican species C. simulans. Historical voucher collections assigned to C. isthmocladum ssp. clavatum show that this P...

The fourth addendum to Schneider and Wynne’s 2007 “A synoptic review of the classification of red algal genera a half century after Kylin’s 1956 ‘ Die Gattungen der Rhodophyceen ’” is presented, covering the names of genus- and higher-level taxa added or modified since our third addendum ( Bot. Mar. 59: 397–404). Since that synopsis, we added 21 ne...

A coralline rhodolith was collected from a depth of 178 m, the lower end of the mesophotic zone, on Plantagenet Bank offshore of Bermuda by the submersible Nomad using a mechanical armature. DNA sequence comparisons of the plastid encoded psbA and rbcL loci of this specimen to Sporolithales from the tropical western Atlantic and worldwide revealed...

A molecular survey of red algae collected by technical divers and submersibles from 90 m in the mesophotic zone off the coast of Bermuda revealed three species assignable to the Kallymeniaceae. Two of the species are representative of recently described genera centered in the western Pacific in Australia and New Zealand, Austrokallymenia and Psarom...

Deep Reef Benthos of Bermuda builds on the video and imagery data collected during Nekton’s Mission – the XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey - and provides a photographic guide for the visual identification of many of the corals, marine plants and other common invertebrates that inhabit Bermuda’s outer deep reefs. This guide is designed to aid marine bio...

Using molecular-assisted alpha taxonomy, we have uncovered two new pseudocryptic species of Champia in Bermuda, as well as have demonstrated that the European C. parvula, a name previously applied to historical Bermuda collections, and C. farlowii recently described from southern New England, USA, are not part of the island flora. We present COI-5P...

Cryptonemia specimens collected in Bermuda over the past two decades were analysed using gene sequences encoding the large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal DNA and the large subunit of RuBisCO as genetic markers to elucidate their phylogenetic positions. They were additionally subjected to morphological assessment and compared with historical colle...

Using mitochondrial COI-5P as a barcode marker, the red algal species previously identified as Digenea simplex in Bermuda is shown to be distinct from this species found in the Adriatic (type locality) and Mediterranean Seas, as well as other tropical locations worldwide. This finding led to a comparative study of the morphology of Bermuda specimen...

: With the advent of regular genetic bar coding for taxonomic distinction a decade ago, descriptions of morphologically cryptic species have exploded in the macroalgal literature. A review of this literature is provided. Produced by either convergence of morphological characteristics by geographically distant species or divergence of species from a...

Using mitochondrial COI-5P and plastid rbcL genetic markers, the red algal species historically known in southern New England, USA, as Champia parvula is found to be genetically distinct from the species to which it has historically been aligned. This necessitates the description of a new species, C. farlowii, for plants from Rhode Island, Massachu...

Using over 10,000 archival herbarium specimens from Bermuda, we compared the presence or absence of seaweeds from a century ago with our more than 5000 collections from the last 30 years. Populations of parrotfish, important herbivores of macroalgae in the tropics, have increased since the 1993 amendment to the Bermuda 1978 Fisheries (Protected Spe...

A third addendum to Schneider and Wynne’s (2007) “A synoptic review of the classification of red algal genera a half century after Kylin’s 1956"

The Melbourne Congress of 2011 authorized a Special Committeeon Registration of Algal and Plant Names (including fossils), whichwas established the following year (Wilson in Taxon 61: 878–879.2012). Its explicit mandate was “to consider what would be involved inregistering algal and plant names (including fossils), using a procedureanalogous to tha...

The Special Committee on Registration of Algal and Plant Names (including fossils) was established at the XVIII International Botanical Congress (IBC) in Melbourne in 2011, its mandate being to consider what would be involved in registering algal and plant names (including fossils), using a procedure analogous to that for fungal names agreed upon i...

Using plastid-encoded rbcL and mitochondrial COI-5P sequence data, the species in Bermuda formerly recognized as Dichotomaria marginata was found to be a cryptic species in a wide complex of species all falling under the morphologically broad species concept for this supposed pantropical species. The new species, Dichotomaria huismanii, shows subtl...

In the western Atlantic Ocean, the brown algal genus Lobophora is currently represented by a single species, L. variegata , with a type locality designated by Lamouroux as ‘ Antilles ’ . In this study, we used molecular-assisted alpha taxonomy (MAAT) to assess species diversity of Lobophora in Bermuda, the Florida Keys, St. Croix and Guadeloupe (Le...

Based upon COI-5P, LSU rDNA and rbcL sequence data and morphological characteristics, six new members of the non-calcified crustose genus of red algae Ethelia are described in a new family, Etheliaceae (Gigartinales), sister to the recently described Ptilocladiopsidaceae. The novel species are described from subtropical to tropical Atlantic and Ind...

We have undertaken a comprehensive, molecular-assisted alpha-taxonomic (MAAT) examination of the rhodophyte family Liagoraceae sensu lato, a group that has not previously been targeted for molecular studies in the western Atlantic. Sequence data from three molecular markers indicate that in Bermuda alone there are 10 species in nine different gener...

When the generitype Centroceras clavulatum, a presumed cosmopolitan warm temperate to tropical red alga, was discovered to have a biogeographic distribution limited to the Pacifc Ocean using molecular and morphological evidence, the taxonomy in the genus Centroceras was thrown into chaos worldwide. An analysis of what species was, or were, previous...

A new red algal species, Crassitegula laciniata (Sebdeniaceae, Sebdeniales), was described from recent collections made on offshore Bermuda reef habitats, and it was distinguished morphologically and molecularly (COI-5P, LSU gene sequences) from congeners in Bermuda and Australia. In addition, four other species were reported as new members of the...

Using sequences of COI-5P, LSU rDNA and rbcL as genetic markers to elucidate their phylogenetic positions, six unknown species from Western Australia, Tasmania, Lord Howe Is. and Norfolk Is. cluster with Meredithia in the Kallymeniaceae (Gigartinales), and are described as new members of this previously monospecific genus. Specimens from Bermuda re...

Since the initial western Atlantic collections in the Florida Keys and Bermuda during the mid-1800s, Helminthocladia calvadosii sensu auct. (type locality: Calvados, France) has also been identified from the Caribbean Sea and as far south as northern Brazil. Prior to this study, collections from the eastern and western Atlantic had not been compare...

Using genetic sequencing (COI-5P LSU, rbcL) to elucidate their phylogenetic positions and then morphological characters to distinguish each from existing species, three procumbent species, including two novel species, from warm temperate Northern Hemisphere waters are added to the recently resurrected genus Halopeltis J. Agardh: H. adnata (Okamura)...

A recent collection of a red alga from Bermuda showed great similarities to Leptofauchea brasiliensis from Brazil, providing the impetus for a morphological and anatomical evaluation of the two. Based on these studies, the two appear to be congeneric. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of the Bermudian plants showed them to be to be a new genus and sp...

Using three genetic markers (COI-5P, LSU, rbcL), plants historically identified as Platoma cyclocolpum from Bermuda have been linked to Nemastoma gelatinosum from its type locality, each representing a distinct seasonal morphology in the islands. Further, the Bermuda plants are genetically related to the recently described P. chrysymenioides from t...

The senior author was fortunate in 1996 to dive on the remote Houtman Abrolhos Islands of Western Australia and view in situ the stunning “Asteromenia peltata” that is so strikingly illustrated by John Huisman (viewable on AlgaeBase). Five years later, during excursions to Bermuda and Lord Howe Island (tropical eastern Australia), he observed and c...

A second addendum to Schneider and Wynne's (Schneider, C.W. and M.J. Wynne. 2007. A synoptic review of the classification of red algal genera a half a century after Kylin's "Die Gattungen der Rhodophyceen". Bot. Mar. 50: 197-249.) "Synoptic review" of red algal genera and their classification is presented, with an updating of names of new taxa at t...

Recent collections of tetrasporangiate “Heterosiphonia” japonica Yendo from Watch Hill to Point Judith, Rhode Island, represent the first report of this nonnative alga in the western Atlantic. Native to the Pacific Ocean, this species was unintentionally introduced into European waters by 1984 and has subsequently invaded the eastern Atlantic Ocean...

Molecular-assisted alpha taxonomy has recently become an effective practice in reassessing biodiversity and floristics for a variety of different organisms. This paper presents a series of examples that have been drawn from biodiversity work being carried out on the marine red algae of Bermuda. Molecular sequencing of DNA from Bermuda samples has a...

This paper contains the first reports of Veleroa magneana in the Atlantic Ocean, Chylocladia schneideri outside of its type locality in Puerto Rico, and Verdigellas peltata and Cladocephalus luteofuscus from shallow water Also reported are new northern limits of distribution for Chondria leptacremon, Dasya antillarum, Laurencia caraibica, Lomentari...

Species of the alga Vaucheria occur throughout the world growing in and on the surface of marine, brackish, and freshwater sediments. This resilient genus has the ability to survive extreme environmental stresses by depositing hardy, dormant “seed banks” of propagules, mostly commonly oospheres, into the sediments. The present study investigates th...

Two species of the genus Vaucheria, V. lii Rieth and V. racemosa (Vaucher) DC., are reported from Connecticut and New England for the first time. Despite sampling over 150 freshwater habitats in Connecticut, each species has been located only at a single site. Culture conditions in the laboratory stimulated growth and, after extended periods of tim...

Propagules of four species of the algal genus Vaucheria—V. aversa, V. frigida, V. prona, and V. undulata—are shown to survive enteric passage through the exotic earthworm, Metaphire levis. One species previously known from the northeastern Connecticut collection site, V. geminata, did not appear in the worm castings cultures, and another, V. aversa...

Using morphological and molecular analyses (rbcL gene sequences), three new species, Botryocladia bermudana, B. exquisita and B. flookii, are described from the coastal waters and national aquarium of Bermuda. The new taxa are joined by two others in the island's flora, B. occidentalis and A wynnei, the last representing a new distributional record...

Six members of the Ceramiales are added to the flora of North Carolina. Two of these, Acrosorium uncinatum (Turner) Kylin and, Rhododictyon bermudensis Taylor, are also reported from South Carolina for the first time. One species, Mesothamnion boergeseni Joly, was previously known only from Brazil and another, Dipterosiphonia reversa sp. nov., is a...

Inspired by the description of the spermatangial conceptacles in Gracilaria blodgettii Harvey from the Asian Paacific as a continuum form the Textorii-type of the Verruccosa-type, a reinvestiagation of male plants of that species from North Carolina reveals unifform Textorii-type con cepptacles. A male specimen of what has been called G. verrucosa...

The red algal species Colaconema basiramosum (Colaconemataceae, Colaconematales) is newly described from the Sultanate of Oman, the Arabian Peninsula. Its distinctive features include undivided basal cells, suprabasal branching, monoecious gametophytes, and the apparent absence of monosporangia and tetrasporangia.

A new species of the red algal genus Woelkerlingia, W. sterreri C. W. Schneid. & M. J. Wynne, is described from a single collection made in Bermuda. The collection contained male and female (dioecious) individuals as well as tetrasporangia and polysporangia on sporophytes. The Bermudian species is compared with and distinguished from W. minuta of t...

Classification of the red algae (Rhodoplantae) has under-gone significant change since the seminal work of Harald Kylin, ''Die Gattungen der Rhodophyceen,'' a half century ago. The number of genera has nearly doubled over this time period, at least in part due to recent molecular com-parative work. Information gleaned from gene-sequenc-ing analyses...

Griffithsia aestivana sp. nov. is described as an endemic from Bermuda. Vegetatively, it is most similar to G. capi- tata from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, but the two differ in overall size and in the tetrasporic state. Eleven other marine algal taxa are reported from Bermuda for the first time: Anadyomene howei, Struvea elegans, Cladopho- ropsis m...

Dorsiventral, mat-forming plants superficially similar to Flahaultia tegetiformans (Gigartinales, Solieriaceae), a Caribbean species known only in the vegetative condition, were collected in several Bermuda habitats. Morphological analysis of these specimens distinguished them from F. tegetiformans. Reproductive morphology and analyses of sequences...

The red algal species Balliella richardsii (Cerainiaceae, Ceramiales) is newly described from the Sultanate of Oman, the Arabian Peninsula. Its distinctive features include its small Stature (to only 18 min in height), straight apices, and the close positioning of its branching, resulting in a very dense appearance. Gland cells are produced exclusi...

C.W. SCHNEIDER AND C.E. LANE. 2005. Notes on the marine algae of the Bermudas. 7. Additions to the flora including Chondracanthus saundersiisp. nov. (Rhodophyta, Gigartinaceae) based on rbcL sequence analysis. Phycologia 44: 72-83. Ten species are added to the benthic marine algal flora of the Bermuda islands: Caulerpella ambigua, Champia salicor-...

Five Ceramiaceae (Rhodophyta) are reported from the offshore waters of the southeastern, warm temperate coast of the United States. These include two new monotypic genera, Calliclavula trifurcate Schneider in the Griffithsieae and Nwynea grandispora Searles in the Sphondylothamnieae, and three new species, Callithamniella silvae Searles, Ptilothamn...

Seven species of red algae, all members of the Ceramiales, are added to the flora of Bermuda, including Aglaothamnion boergesenii, Ceramium brevizonatum var. caraibicum, C. corniculatum, Crouania elisiae sp. nov., Griffithsia heteromorpha, Herposiphonia variabilis and Hypoglossum caloglossoides. Four other species already known from the islands are...

An annotated checklist of the 431 species of marine macroalgae presently known from Bermuda, and all of the literature citations for those reports, are provided. The list includes 240 Rhodophyta, 66 Phaeophyceae, 118 Chlorophyta, and 7 Chrysophyceae and Xanthophyceae, as well as an additional 33 species reported from Bermuda in the past but now que...

Three species of marine algae are reported from the Bermuda islands for the first time, Avrainvillea sylvearleae D. S. Littler et Littler, Discosporangium mesarthrocarpum (Menegh.) Hauck, and Peyssonnelia valentinii Yonesh. et Boudour. The presence of Avrainvillea sylvearleae in Bermuda prompted a taxonomic reinvestigation of North Carolina specime...

Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of the alga Vaucheria to survive prolonged and stressful periods of desiccation and freezing. However, even during harsh New England winters, the top few centimeters of floodplain alluvium or stream bank mud, where Vaucheria is often found, experience repeated thawing and refreezing events. Muds from t...

Propagules of four species of the algal genus Vaucheria - V. aversa, V. frigida, V. prona, and V. undulata - are shown to survive enteric passage through the exotic earthworm, Metaphire levis. One species previously known from the northeastern Connecticut collection site, V. geminata, did not appear in the worm castings cultures, and another, V. av...

Species of the algal genus Vaucheria routinely leave "seed banks" of propagules in riparian sediments for regrowth during optimal conditions in the habitat. Muds containing propagules were collected at different times of the year from four freshwater riparian habitats in central and eastern Connecticut, sites previously known to have as many as six...

A deep-water species of Botryocladia, B. darwinii C.W. Schneid. et C.E. Lane sp. nov.,is described based upon sexually reproductive material collected off Isla Xarifa in Gardner Bay (vicinity Isla Española) in the Galápagos. The new species is a member of the Section Microphysae (large- and few-vesicled species with short stalks), and is most simil...

Apoglossum gregarium (E. Y. Dawson) M. J. Wynne, Hypoglossum barbatum Okamura, H. rhizophorum D. L. Ballant. et M. J. Wynne, H. subsimplex M.J. Wynne, and Platysiphonia caribaea D. L. Ballant. et M. J. Wynne are reported from the Bermudas for the first time. On the basis of vegetative and reproductive characteristics, Hypoglossum barbatum is distin...

A deep-water species of Botryocladia, B. darwinii C.W. Schneid. et C.E. Lane sp. nov., is described based upon sexually reproductive material collected off Isla Xarifa in Gardner Bay (vicinity Isla Española) in the Galapágos. The new species is a member of the Section Microphysae (large- and few-vesicled species with short stalks), and is most simi...

Having scoured freshwater habitats throughout Connecticut for more than two years at 151 collection sites, we have discovered the presence of nine species and two varieties of the genus Vaucheria, including four species not previously known from the state: V. prona, V. taylorii, V. uncinata, and V. undulata. In addition, V. compacta, normally found...

Eight additional species of marine algae are reported from Bermuda for the first time: Ulvella lens P. Crouan ct H. Crouan; three epiphytic species of Audouinella (A. daviesii (Dillwyn) Woelkerling, A. hormorhiza (Borgesen) Garbary, and A, hoytii (Collins) C.W. Schneider); Gloiocladia atlantica (Searles) R.E. Norris; Corallophila verongiae (D.L. Ba...

Seven species of marine algae in the Antithamnieae, (Antithamnion lherminieri, Antithamnion decipiens) and Dohrnielleae sensu Athanasiadis (Callithamniella tingitana, Dohrniella antillara, Antithamnionella breviramosa, Antithamnionella graeffei, and a new species, Antithamnionella bermudica) are reported from the Bermuda islands for the first time....

Tidal freshwater North American isolates of Vaucheria compacta (Collins) Collins ex W.R. Taylor are comparable to a European freshwater variety, V. compacta var. dulcis J. Simons, which was shown to differ from the type in antheridial characteristics including axis curvature, number of lateral pores and the occurrence of antheridial clustering. Mul...

Frikkiella, based on F. searlesii sp. nov., is recognized as a new genus in the red algal family Delesseriaceae. Frikkiella pseudoprostrata comb. nov. (= Branchioglossum pseudoprostratum) is also assigned to this genus. The former species occurs in deep water off Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Bermuda, and the latter species is also known from deep...

L-systems provide a method for modelling seaweed branching patterns in terms of simple rules. These rules can be used to generate computer graphics images of an alga's basic architecture, which, of course, is often obscured by adventiltious growth in living plants. L-systems provide a mathematical abstraction that allows us to compare species by fo...

Schneider, C. W. & Wynne, M. J.: Lectotypification of Sebdenia flabellata (J. Agardh) Parkinson (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta). ‐ Taxon 40: 471–474. 1991. ‐ ISSN 0040‐0262. Type material of Isymenia flabellata J. Agardh was examined and determined to conform to Sebdenia. The transfer of this taxon to Sebdenia by Parkinson is supported. Sebdenia flabell...

A form of string rewriting systems, known as L-systems, are used to model the branching patterns of the red algal genus Dipterosiphonia(Ceramiales, Rhodomelaceae). L-systems provide a method of producing character strings from a set of production rules similar to those in grammars that have been used to study both natural and computer languages. Th...

Specimens collected in deep offshore Carolina waters previously ascribed to Heterosiphonia are found to represent two new species of Dasysiphonia, until now a monotypic genus known only from South Korea. D. concinna sp. nov. and D. doliiformis sp. nov. both exhibit characteristics for the genus which is intermediate between Dasya and Heterosiphonia...

Specimens collected in deep offshore Craspedocarpus, a genus previously known only from Australia and New Zealand. Several vegetative and reproductive characteristics of C. humilis sp. nov. are shared with a closely related genus, Calliblepharis, and a reappraisal is made of the limits of both genera and closely related taxa. As a result, Calliblep...

An attempt to identify new collections and update the taxonomy historically applied to the genus Peyssonnelia in North Carolina has resulted in a new species, P. atlantica; two new records for the southeastern United States, P. simulans Web.-van Bosse and P. stoechas Boud. and Den.; the reassignment of previous records of P. rubra (Grev.) J. Ag. to...

Bermuda is the most isolated habitat for seaweeds in the western North Atlantic Ocean and is thus of particular interest to the study of seaweed biogeography and evolution. It is also the northernmost extension of the tropical Western Atlantic phytogeographic region of van den Hoek (1975). The Bermuda pedestal, a seamount rising 4000 meters above t...

Four species of the Ceramiaceae and one species of the Delesseriaceae are newly reported from North Carolina, USA. The genera to which they belong are also previously unknown in this region. Antithamnionella atlantica (Cabral de Oliveira) comb. nov. has been collected for the first time outside of its type locality in Brazil and Antithamnionella br...

A previously unreported free-living form of Pilayella is described. During all months of the year, drifting clouds of this plant may carpet up to half of the sandy bottom and beaches of Nahant Bay, a 15 km² rectangular embayment on the north coast of Massachusetts. Four features distinguish the atypical free-living form from the typical attached fo...