Lithothamnion philippii Foslie forma funafutiense Foslie, 1899: 3 (`funafutiensis') (type locality: Funafuti, Tuvalu).
Mesophyllum funafutiense (Foslie) Verheij, 1993b: 238.—Keats & Chamberlain, 1994b: 181–189, figs. 43–58, 65, 66.
Taxonomic synonym (fide Foslie, 1901f: 17–18):
Lithothamnion funafutiense (Foslie) Foslie forma purpurascens Foslie, 1901f: 18–19 (lectotype locality: Ko Chang, Ko Chang Archipelago, Thailand fide Adey & Lebednik, 1967: 64 and Woelkerling, 1993: 184–185).
Lithothamnion purpurascens (Foslie) Foslie, 1907a: 13, footnote.—Foslie, 1907c: 98–99.— Foslie, 1907d: 182–183.— Lemoine, 1918: 89.— De Toni, 1924: 618–619.— Foslie, 1929: 45, pl. IV: fig. 19.— Adey & Lebednik, 1967: 65.— Segonzac, 1983: table 1.— Segonzac, 1984: 99, table 1.
Mesophyllum purpurascens (Foslie) Adey, 1970: 26.
INDIAN OCEAN DISTRIBUTION: Amirante Islands, Comoro Islands, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa.
Note: Priority of the epithet funafutiense at the level of species was established by its use in the combination Lithothamnion funafutiense (Foslie) Foslie (1901f: 17). According to Woelkerling (1993: 185), Adey & Lebednik (1967: 64) gave the lectotype locality of L. funafutiense forma purpurascens as Koh Mesan in error.