Marine algal (seaweed) flora of Faial Island, Azores

This occurrence dataset lists the macroalgal taxonomic records compiled from field studies done at Faial Island (central group of the Azores archipelago) and provides information on each species’ ecology and occurrence on the island’s littoral. Collections were undertaken by Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores and Island Aquatic Research Group of the Azorean Biodiversity Centre of the University of the Azores at the littoral and shallow sublittoral levels. A total of 2283 specimens are registered (including taxa identified only at generic level) belonging to 118 taxa of macroalgae comprising 61 Rhodophyta, 26 Chlorophyta, 30 Ochrophyta (Phaeophyceae) and 1 Cyanophyta (Cyanobacteria). From these, 23 are new records for the island, five are introduced, and twelve have an uncertain status. Most species were only sporadically observed on the island’s littoral, but three Rhodophyta were commonly found, namely: Asparagopsis taxiformis (Delile) Trevisan, Asparagopsis armata Harvey and Pterocladiella capillacea (S.G.Gmelin) Santel. & Hommers; as well as the four Ochrophyta: Halopteris filicina (Grateloup) Kützing, Lobophora variegata (J.V.Lamouroux) Womersley ex E.C.Oliveira, Dictyota dichotoma (Hudson) J.V.Lamouroux, Padina pavonica (Linnaeus) Thivy. Although representing an incomplete list of the seaweeds occurring in Faial, this occurrence dataset is a contribution to the knowledge of the marine alga flora of that island. For each taxon presented, it provides general information on its occurrence on the island’s littoral, and thus contributes to address several biodiversity shortfalls (see Hortal et al. 2015), namely the need to catalogue the Azorean macroalgae (Linnean shortfall) and improve the current information on their local and regional geographic distribution (Wallacean shortfall), as well as on species abundances and dynamics in space (Prestonian shortfall). It aims to provide information for biological studies such as systematics, diversity and conservation, biological monitoring, climate change and ecology, and for academics, students, government, private organizations, and the general public.