<i>Pyropia acanthophora</i> var. <i>robusta</i> var. nov. (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) from Goa, India

866-873A new variety of Pyropia (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) from Cola, Goa, India is described and illustrated. Pyropia acanthophora is mentioned for the first time for India. Based on morphological and molecular characterization we identified a new variety, Pyropia acanthophora var. robusta M. G. Kavale, M. A. Kazi, N. Sreenadhan, var. nov. Major differences were observed in size, shape and texture of the thallus as well as number of spermatia and zygotospores. Minimum genetic divergence for rbcL and cox1 gene sequences of specimen from India with the Brazilian P. acanthophora was 0.2%