An inventory of the macroalgae of the subtidal zone from 5 to17 m depth was made in the localities of Puerto Maya (Aragua state), Puerto Cruz (Vargas state), Madrizquí and Boca de Cote (Archipiélago Los Roques National Park). Four new records of red algal species (Rhodophyta) are reported for the Venezuelan coast: Apoglossum gregarium, Platysiphonia caribaea, Gloiocladia iyoensis and Botryocladia monoica. Two of them, A. gregarium and G. iyoensis are also reported for the first time for the Caribbean Sea. Their main diagnostic characteristics are established and summarized as follows: habit and dimensions of the thallus, morphology of the reproductive structures, presence or absence of cortical cells and gland cells. In addition, comparisons to morphologically related species are presented.
red algae; coral reefs; marine phycological flora; Venezuela; subtidal zone
