Thysanocladia densa Sonder, 1871: 55, pl. II: figs. 1–6 (type locality: Cape York, Queensland, Australia).
Callophycus densus (Sonder) Kraft, 1984b: 58.—R. Norris & Aken, 1985: 56, 58, figs. 6, 7.— R. Norris, 1987g: 237–238.— Stirk & Aken, 1993: 575.
Taxonomic synonym:
Gelidium serratum Kützing, 1868: 22, pl. 62: figs. a–c (type locality: Cape of Good Hope, South Africa).—Delf & Michell, 1921: 104.
Thysanocladia africana Schmitz, 1894b: 201.—Barton, 1896: 196.
Callophycus africanus (Schmitz) Hewitt, 1960: 205–212, figs. 16–23, pls. 27–29 (including Indian Ocean records).—Seagrief, 1988: 56, fig. 5:10.— R. Anderson & Stegenga, 1989: 302.
INDIAN OCEAN DISTRIBUTION: South Africa.
Note: The synonymy was proposed by R. Norris (1987g: 237). When transferring Gelidium serratum to Thysanocladia, Schmitz (l.c.) changed the epithet to africana because of the prior existence of T. serrata Harvey ex Kützing (1869: 10–11, pl. 29: figs. a, b; type locality: Tonga), which subsequently was transferred to Callophycus by P. Silva (1957b: 143). Min-Thein & Womersley (1976: 15) listed Gelidium serratum as a taxonomic synonym of Callophycus dorsifer (C. Agardh) P. Silva, but they neither cited its nomenclatural synonyms nor discussed the occurrence of C. dorsifer in South Africa.