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The genetic diversity of the green algal genus Ulva sensu lato in the New Zealand region was surveyed, examining rbcL sequences of 581 samples from a wide geographical range. Twenty-four genetically distinct taxa were discovered in New Zealand waters, belonging to three genera-Ulva (19 species), Umbraulva (four species) and Gemina (one species). Of the 19 species of Ulva reported here, 13 could be identified to the species level based on morphological and genetic data. The remaining six species cannot currently be assigned to known species groups due to a lack of close homology with sequences in GenBank. These species may include undescribed endemic taxa, recognised taxa for which rbcL sequences are not yet available, or may represent cryptogenic species. The genus Umbraulva is recorded for the first time for the New Zealand region and for the Southern Hemisphere. Of the four species distinguished, one is considered to be introduced to the region and the other three are undescribed indigenous taxa. Subantarctic samples provide the first evidence of the genus Gemina since its description in 1952: sequence data confirmed that Gemina is distinct from Ulva and Umbraulva. A number of the species identified in this study can be distinguished through a combination of growth form, morphological, ecological and distributional characters. However there remain considerable problems in distinguishing a number of other species by morphological characters alone. Based on information such as distribution in New Zealand (percentage of samples occurring in highly modified environments and/or areas with frequent vessel traffic), as well as the genetic similarity of New Zealand samples to material from overseas, we have concluded that at least five species have been introduced to the New Zealand region: Ulva armoricana, U. californica, U. flexuosa, U. lactuca and Umbraulva olivascens.

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The phylogenetic relationships of Porphyra collected from the Falkland Islands have been examined using molecular data from two loci, the plastid rbcL gene and the nuclear nSSU gene, in conjunction with morphological observations. Nine species have been distinguished, belonging to four distinct lineages within the Bangiales, differing from one another by 16–137 substitutions in the rbcL gene. One species is closely related to P. amplissima, a north Atlantic taxon, three are resolved in a clade that includes several species from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, as well as P. umbilicalis, whereas four others are more closely related to Southern Ocean species, including P. cinnamomea, P. virididentata and several as yet unnamed taxa from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Three species, one of which we identify as P. columbina, appear to be widely distributed in the Southern Ocean, with representatives on the Falkland Islands and on islands of the Australian and New Zealand subantarctic.