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Corallinaceae was the only one family of the order Corallinales and composed of four subfamilies, namely Metagoniolithoideae, Corallinoideae, Lithophylloideae (Amphiroideae sensu Johansen 2) and Mastophoroideae. 2,3,4 Of these subfamilies, articulated coralline algae were assigned to the Metagoniolithoideae, Lithophylloideae and Corallinoideae. The genus Jania is one of the thirteen genera of subfamily Corallinoideae and also one of the three genera of tribe Janieae (comprising Jania, Haliptilon and Cheilosporum) separated from the tribe Corallineae. 5 The genus Jania was characterized by having cylindrical intergenicula and branches dichotomous throughout, with marginal and axial conceptacles and comprised 48 species currently accepted taxonomically and distributed throughout the tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate areas. 6

Liberated tetraspores from Catenella nipae collected from Kyaikkhami (Lat. 16º05'N, Long. 97º34'E) and Setse (Lat. 15º52'N, Long. 97º38'E) coastal areas had been cultured under the laboratory conditions to investigate the germination pattern of this species based on the early stages of cell divisions and development of tetraspores in culture. In the tetraspores germination of C. nipae, primary rhizoid developed from lower cell after second cell division during 2 d in culture. After 5-10 days, tetraspore germlings continued cell divisions from 5 to 18 cells and the rhizoid cells divided into 2-4 cells reaching a length of 10-150µm. The 15 d old germlings were observed with several cell divisions and produced another rhizoid. The initial of erect blade was observed when the lengths of rhizoids were 800µm during the experimental period of 1 month. In addition, effects of salinity and medium on spore germination were briefly discussed. Citation: Wai MK. Tetraspore germination in Catenella nipae Zanardini (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) collected from Kyaikkhami and Setse coastal areas, Mon State, Myanmar. Citation: Wai MK. Tetraspore germination in Catenella nipae Zanardini (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) collected from Kyaikkhami and Setse coastal areas, Mon State, Myanmar. Citation: Wai MK. Tetraspore germination in Catenella nipae Zanardini (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) collected from Kyaikkhami and Setse coastal areas, Mon State, Myanmar.

Articulated coralline algae belonging to the genus Amphiroa collected from the coastal zones of Myanmar were identified as A. fragilissima based on the characters such as shape of intergenicula, branching type, type of genicula (number of tiers formed at the genicula), shape (composition and arrangement of short and long tiers of medullary cells), presence or absence of secondary pit-connections and lateral fusions at medullary filaments of the intergenicula and position of conceptacles. A comparison on the taxonomic characters of A. fragilissima growing in Myanmar and in different countries was discussed. A. fragilissima showed Amphiroa-type which was characterized by transversely divided cells in the first division of the early stages of spore germination in laboratory culture. Moreover, the distribution ranges of A. fragilissima along both the coastal zones of Myanmar and the world oceans were presented. In addition, ecological records of this species were briefly reported.

A total of 261species of marine benthic algae under 121genera,comprising 72 taxa belonging to 26 genera of Chlorophyta, 45 taxa belonging to 18 genera of Phaeophyta and 144 taxa belonging to 77 genera of Rhodophyta growing along the Tanintharyi Coastal Zone, Deltaic Coastal Zone and Rakhine Coastal Zone, were recorded. In general, diversity ratios of seaweeds occur in 3 Coastal Zones is 3:1:4 between the Tanintharyi Coastal Zone (146 taxa), Deltaic Coastal Zone (53 taxa) and Rakhine Coastal Zone (224 taxa).Among these, 89 species of marine benthic algae, including 25 taxa of green, 9 taxa of brown and 55 taxa of red algae, were newly recorded from Myanmar waters. The latitudinal distribution of marine benthic algae along the Myanmar Coastal Zones reveals 25 species of marine benthic algae which uniquely occur in low lattitute in the Tanintharyi Coastal Zone and 111 species which exclusively predominate in high lattitutein the Rakhine Coastal Zone. Monostroma, Ulva, Caulerpa and Codium of Chlorophyta, Dictyota, Spatoglossum, Hormophysa, Turbinaria and Sargassum of Phaeophyta and Phycocalidia, Dermonema, Gelidiella, Halymenia, Solieria, Hypnea, Gracilaria,Gracilariopsis, Hydopuntia, Catenella and Acanthophora of Rhodophyta could be considered as of dependable natural resources of Myanmar to produce the sea-vegetables and phycocolloids. Mariculture of some economically important marine red algae such as Gracilaria spp., Hydopuntia spp., Catenella spp. And Kappaphycus alvarezii was described. Current status and prospects of phycocolloid industries producing alginate, agar-agar and carrageenansfrom raw materials of seaweeds of Myanmar were discussed. Checklist, distribution and conservation of marine benthic algae were briefly presented.