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Abstract:
Recent collections in northern New Zealand and New Caledonia revealed a single undescribed species of Platoma in each of these countries. Platoma novae-zealandiae sp. nov. is distinguished from its New Caledonian congener by its less foliose habit, subterete to flattened branches decreasing in width with increasing level of branching, distinctive protuberant ostiolate cystocarps, and large granular ‘gland’ cells. These features contrast with the morphology of Platoma novae-caledoniae sp. nov., which was irregularly to pseudodichotomously branched, with branches of almost equal width throughout, more blade-like and polymorphic, with barely protuberant nonostiolate cystocarps and uniformly refractive gland cells. These two species add to the regional floras of these highly biodiverse areas. These new taxa of Platoma increase the total number of species to 10; of these, five are known from the western Pacific, of which four are endemic to the region.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank Fonds Pacifique for funds supporting this study and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research under Coasts and Oceans Research Programme 2 Marine Biological Resources, Discovery and definition of the marine biota of New Zealand (2013/14 SCI) (COBR1401). Special thanks to the IRD for fieldwork, and to Jean-Louis Menou for collection of deep material. Jenn Dalen, Ant Kusabs, and Jean Claude Stahl, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa are thanked for their assistance with specimens and images. Gerry Kraft is thanked for his helpful comments made reviewing this paper.