A NEW RECORD FOR THE MARINE ALGAL FLORA OF TURKEY: TITANODERMA TROCHANTER (BORY DE SAINT-VINCENT) BENHISSOUNE, BOUDOURESQUE, PERRET-BOUDOURESQUE AND VERLAQUE, 2002 (RHODOPHYTA, CORALLINALES, CORALLINACEAE)

The coralline alga, Titanoderma trochanter, was recorded for the first time in Turkey. In 2009, thalli were observed in the wave-exposed lower eulittoral rock settings at depths of 0.1-0.5 m on the coasts of Fethiye Bay (south-eastern Aegean Sea) and Kas (Antalya, Levantine Sea). It often covered approximately 30-40% of rocky substrata where it was found in Fethiye Bay. The vegetative structure as well as habitat and the distribution of this species are described.