Dictyota ciliolata Sonder ex Kützing (Phaeophyceae, Dictyotales) in the Mediterranean Sea

The presence of Dictyota ciliolata (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) on the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula is reported. D. ciliolata is a tropical to subtropical species mainly distributed along the coasts of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Although it occurs in areas next to the Mediterranean, like the Red Sea and the Atlantic coasts of Morocco, Canary Islands and Madeira, D. ciliolata had not been previously reported from the Mediterranean Sea. A morphological and anatomical comparison of the Iberian specimens of this species with those of other geographical areas, as well as with other similar species of Dictyota occurring in the Mediterranean Sea, is provided.