Molecular and Morphological Identification of Branched Coralline Algae

Abstract

To verify the taxonomic identification of the branched coralline algae that exhibit similarities, molecular and morphological methods were employed. The DNA markers psbA and rbcL confirmed the identification of Corallina pilulifera and the number of medullary tiers further substantiated the placement of the species. Two other species of Corallina were identified based only on medullary tier. The crustose coralline algae, Lithophyllum yessoense was also identified using morphological criteria.