A new species of freshwater Rhodophyta, Batrachospermum carpocontortum

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Abstract
A new species, Batrachospermum carpocontortum, is described from northwest Washington state, USA. The combination of long, straight carpogonial branches, one or two large external carposporophytes and sessile trichogynes with protrusions and bends is unique amongst the current subgeneric sections employed. Hence a new section, Carpocontorta, is established. Other characteristics of the new species include dioecious plants, olive-green to brown color, 3–8 cm filament lengths, barrel-shaped, contiguous, lateral whorls, abundant secondary branches, few hair cells and dichotomous or trichotomous fascicle branching. Computerized image analysis shows that trichogyne shape, when used in conjunction with its size and localization, is a taxonomic feature for this and other species in the genus.