A preliminary list of sublittoral marine algae from the west of Scotland

Except for the shores of the Firth of Clyde, few records exist of marine algae from the mainland of the west of Scotland.Harvey-Gibson (1892) listed more than 150 species from collections and dredgings around Connel Ferry and Loch Etive; Newton (1949), Burrows (1960) and Muirhead (1965) published short lists for Ayrshire and Wigtownshire, Galloway and Argyll, while Lewis & Powell (1960) have described the main intertidal associations of parts of the coast of Argyll.Sublittoral records exist for few areas.During the years 1932-36, J. A. Kitching, with the aid of a diving helmet, investigated the sublittoral off Carsaig Island in the Sound of Jura down to a depth of 12 m and gave his now classical description of the laminarian forest which he found there (Kitching, 1941).In 1960 J. M. Kain, using an aqualung, collected sublittoral samples from sites offthe Greater Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde and islands in Gairloch and Loch Torridon in Ross-shire.From the latter region, she recorded five algal species occurring at a depth of 23 m (Kain, 1961).During 1966, a sub-aqua group from the Department of Botany in the University of Glasgow visited eleven sites on the mainland of Argyll and Ayrshire between June and November.Diving in pairs, they collected at 3m intervals (as shown on a depth gauge) down to 33 m.All samples were brought to the surface in nylon mesh bags and recorded on the site or, later, in the laboratory.The list now presented includes the main intertidal species from the sites, thereby suggesting the degrees of exposure and wave action which were operative.Unless otherwise stated, the names used are those given in Parke & Dixon (1964) and are shown alphabetically within the classes (or sub-classes, Rhodophyceae).The numbers in brackets following a name in the list refer to explanatory notes which are given at the end of the list.The specimens have been deposited in the Herbarium of the Department of Botany of the University of Glasgow.