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ABSTRACT
The present study is based on the analysis of thalli of Lithophyllum byssoides (Lamarck) Foslie (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) collected from the Island of Ustica (southern Tyrrhenian Sea). Both the composition of mineral deposits, and the morphology of the thallus were examined. Chemical-mineralogical analyses (by energy dispersive spectrometry, X-ray diffractometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry) revealed the structure and organisation of the mineral deposits, mainly calcium carbonate, present within the cell wall. Calcium carbonate was mainly deposited as calcite with 15% of magnesium carbonate, but aragonite was also detected. A comparison with data referring to thalli collected from two localities along the north-western coast of Sicily (Mannino, 1992, 1994) highlighted some differences, among the three populations, relative to composition of mineral deposits and population structure. Results from the present study also point to a relationship between composition of mineral deposits and environmental factors.