Marine algae of the South China Sea bordered by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam

Although the South China Sea (SCS) is one of the most productive marine ecoregions in the world, there is no report of marine algae covering this wide area. We here provide the first checklist of marine algae from the SCS, bordered by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. A total of 1,442 species including subspecies and varieties in 96 families were compiled in this checklist; 119 species in 12 families for Cyanophyta, 305 species in 22 families for Chlorophyta, 258 species in 14 families for Ochrophyta and 730 species in 48 families for Rhodophyta. Marine algal flora, compared using the Sorensen's Similarity Index, is very similar between Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. This preliminary checklist will provide a baseline for future taxonomic and biogeographical studies of marine algae in the region. Further international collaboration among phycologists will improve our knowledge of marine algae in the SCS.