The life history "in vitro" of the marine red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis (DELILE) COLLINS & HERVEY (Bonnemaisoniales, Rhodophyta) was followed under controlled environmental conditions in the laboratory. Carpospores from the field collected gametophytes germinated to form branched filamentous plants, which eventually produced tetrasporangia from some of the pericentral cells. Morphologically (plant size, mode of branching) and structurally (3 pericentral cells), these plants grown from the germination of carpospores were similar to the fertile plants of Falkenbergia hillebrandii (BORNET) FALKENBERG collected from the field. Similary tetraspores liberated from the sporophytic plants grown in the laboratory germinated and developed into Asparagopsis like-plants. On many external and internal features these plants were remarkably similar to the field collected Asparagopsis plants. The laboratory grown individuals of Asparagopsis plants did not however reach reproductive maturity.
On the basis of our observations and reviewing the pertinent literature, we conclude that A. taxiformit in the south-eastern Caribbean Sea also has a heteromorphic life-history and that F. billebrandii constitutes the sporophytic phase.