ALGAL VEGETATION OF THE KASUMI ROCK ICE-FREE AREA, PRINCE OLAV COAST, ANTARCTICA

Abstract

On February 20, 1961, the writer collected algae in the Kasumi Rock ice-free area, which is located around 68°21' S and 42°13' E, on the Prince Olav Coast, Antarctica, and reported already on the diatom flora thereof (FUKUSHIMA, 1962). Since the writer has finished investigation of the algae of the above-mentioned material except diatom, the algal vegetation in this area is reported here. Among the algae from the Kasumi Rock area, diatom was the largest in the number of species, followed by blue-green algae and then by green algae. In quantity, blue-green algae was larger than diatom, but in a brackish pond, a king of green algae (ex. Chlorococcum sp.) grew so abundantly that sometimes the sequence of quantity became green algae, blue-green algae, then green algae. Of the blue-green algae found in the Kasumi Rock area, specific identification could be made on 9 taxa. Only 1 taxon of them was Antarctic endemic species, having such a small number of individuals that it may be said that almost all blue-green algae of this area cosmopolitan. In diatom, most were Antarctic endemic species ; in the number of individuals, too, Antarctic endemic species were more than cosmopolitan ones in the case of fresh water, whereas in the case of brackish pond cosmopolitan ones were far more than endemic ones. In myxophyceae (blue-green algae), cosmopolitan species were far more than endemic ones in both fresh water and brackish water.