Account of the marine macroalgae from the northern coastal district of Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

The reports on the occurrence of the marine macroalgae from Andhra Pradesh are sporadic and merely reported from the middle part (Visakhapatnam district) of the state and the rest of the southern and northern parts of the coastal areas were not yet be covered. Hence, the present attempt was subjected to instigate the details on the occurrence of marine macroalgae from the northern coastal districts (Vizianagaram and Srikakulam) of Andhra Pradesh during March 2017 - August 2019. A sum of 57 taxa of marine macroalgae belongs to 27 genera of 20 families under 15 orders collected from the 22 localities. Among them, class Rhodophyceae (46%) is the predominant group in species composition followed by Chlorophyceae (35%) and Phaeophyceae (19%). Also, the present study highlights the correlation of ecological parameters of the coastline with the distribution and diversity of seaweeds in Andhra Pradesh. Further, it reveals the occurrence of 16 taxa reported for the first time from the coastline of Andhra Pradesh.