First record of Osmundea oederi (Gunnerus) G. Furnari comb. nov. (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta) from the Mediterranean Sea

The first documented occurrence of Osmundea oederi (Gunnerus) G. Furnari comb. nov. in the Mediterranean Sea is reported from the Gulf of Taranto (Italy). A comparison with the morphologically similar species O. truncata and other species of Osmundea with compressed thalli and secondary pit-connections between epidermal cells occurring in the Mediterranean Sea, is presented. The conspecificity of the Caribbean Laurencia bolivarii with O. oederi is also proposed