Taxonomy of the Lemaneaceae (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta) in China

Key words: Lemaneaceae; Lemanea; Paralemanea; new species; new record; China Lemaneaceae was established in 1828 by Agardh (Agardh, 1928). The family, like other families of the order Batrachospermales, has a heteromorphic triphasic life his-tory consisting of chantransia, gametophyte and carposporophyte phase. The plant is pseudoparenchyma-tous with fascicles of cells that become progressively smaller towards the exterior, with large vacuoles, occupy-ing most of the cell volume in the cells towards the interior. Medullar area with scattered ray cells (periaxial cells) is not obviously continuous with the cortical filaments; ray cell and inner fascicle cell are with small chloroplasts and con-siderable vacuolation. Reproduction is similar to other Batrachospermales but with carposporangia produced in chains. Spermatangial sori is in discrete patches or rings. Species of the family Lemaneaceae occur in clean streams. They mainly distribute in the northern hemispher