Halimeda magnidisca (Caulerpales, Chlorophyta), a new species from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

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Abstract
A new, deep water species of Halimeda, H. magnidisca, has been found on the Great Barrier Reef of northestern Australia. It is characterized by prominent stipe-like lower axes, sand-anchored bulbous bases, and the largest segments (up to 55 mm wide and 40 mm long) so far recorded in the genus. The new species is described anatomically and compared to other species of Halimeda with large segments. The peripheral utricles of H. magnidisca are smaller than those recorded for H. gigas and H. tuna, while the bell-shaped peripheral utricles of H. macroloba are quite distinct from the characteristic goblet-shaped utricles of the new species. A comparison is also made with H. cuneata which has similarly shaped peripheral utricles. The presence of cushion or ''stalk''-like structures between the segments of H. cuneata, lack of lower stipe-like segments, and smaller segment size distinguish this species from H. magnidisca.