Taxacom: =?utf-8?q?The_type_of_Rhodophyllis_K=C3=BCtzing_1847?=

[Athanasios Athanasiadis]

Although *Rhodophyllis* *divaricata* (Stackhouse) Papenfuss had been
regarded as the correct name of the generitype of *Rhodophylis* since 1950
(Papenfuss 1950), Woelkerling et al. (2020b) treated *Rhodophyllis*
*bifidus* (J.V. Lamouroux) K?tzing as the correct name of the type of this
genus. Moreover, going against the opinion of Dixon & Irvine (1977a: 138;
1977b: 198) and Guiry (1977: 390), Woelkerling et al. (2020a) selected as
neotype of *Fucus bifidus* Hudson (1778, *nom.illeg*. - non *F. bifidus*
S.G. Gmelin 1768), the illustration of the stipes-bearing Frankland
specimen (see Turner 1808-1809: 3-5 , pl.73 fig.g) which unequivocally
belongs to *Rhodymenia pseudopalmata* (J.V. Lamouroux) P.C. Silva (5th
addendum in Botanica marina 65: 145. 2022; Athanasiadis 2016: 757-8, and
references therein).

            It is not the first time that Woelkerling et al. act
irresponsibly - cf. *Leptophytum laeve* (Foslie) W.H. Adey (Athanasiadis
2016: 256), and in the present case their neotypification threatens another
well-established name (i.e. *Rhodymenia pseudopalmata*).

            Woelkerling et al.'s (2020a,b) opinion finds, however, no
support, since regarding the type of *Rhodophyllis*, K?tzing (1847: 23)
referred to the single species ?*Rhodomenia bifida* Grev.?. Greville (1830:
85) in his turn cited several synonyms of which the oldest is *Fucus
bifidus* Goodenough and Woodward (1797: 159, pl.17 fig.1). Goodenough and
Woodward's work was also cited under *Fucus laceratus *var. *bifidus* by De
Candolle in Lamarck and De Candolle (1805: 28), which was selected as the
earliest legitimate name of *Fucus bifidus* Hudson (Athanasiadis 2016: 480)
- Woelkerling et al. (2020a:1) selected instead *Delesseria bifida*
J.V.Lamouroux (1813), as *nom.nov.*, but Art.58.1 specifies that a new name
can be ?at either the same or a different rank?. *Bifida divaricata*
Stackhouse (1809, *nom.nov.*), based on *Fucus bifidus *Hudson (1778), is
the first legitimate name at species rank (Art. 11.2) and *Rhodophyllis
divaricata *(Stackhouse) Papenfuss (1950) remains the correct name of the
species in the genus *Rhodophyllis*.

            This recapitulation confirms that the first legitimate name of
the type of *Rhodophyllis* is *Fucus laceratus* var. *bifidus* De Candolle
(1805), *nom.nov.* (Athanasiadis 2016: 480), and its apparent lectotype
should be the illustration in Goodenough and Woodward (1797, pl.17 fig.1) -
with putative iso-lectotypes to be sought in the herbaria De Candolle and
Goodenough. Goodenough and Woodward's illustration also provides the new
element required to typify *Fucus bifidus *Hudson with, superseding
Woelkerling et al.'s (2020a) neotypification since the stipes-bearing
neotype is in serious conflict with the protologue (Dixon & Irvine 1977a;
Art.9.19b).

            References to all citations appear in the 5th addendum [Botanica
Marina 65(2): 141-151. 2022] and in Athanasiadis (Phycologia Europaea
Rhodophyta. 479-480. 2016).



A. Athanasiadis

G?teborg



PS: this clarification also salvages the name *Rhodymenia pseudopalmata*
(J.V. Lamouroux) P.C. Silva from further adventures.