Heterocladia australis Decaisne, 1842a: 359 (type locality: Western Australia).—J. Agardh, 1863 [1851–1863]: 1250–1251.— Harvey, 1863: xviii.— Sonder, 1880: 33.— J. Agardh, 1897: 90, pl. II: figs. 6, 7.— Schmitz & Falkenberg, 1897: 454, fig. 255.— Falkenberg, 1901: 588–590, pl. 12: figs. 16–22.— De Toni, 1903: 1126.— Lucas, 1909: 47.— De Toni, 1924: 430.— Kylin, 1956: 556, fig. 443B.— V. May, 1965: 399.
Heterocladia prolifera Decaisne ex Kützing, 1849: 879, nom. illeg.—Kützing, 1866: 3, pl. 7: figs. a–f.
INDIAN OCEAN DISTRIBUTION: Australia.
Note: Decaisne (1841: 177–178, pl. V: figs. 18–22) described this alga as the type species of a new genus, Heterocladia, without giving a specific epithet. He later (1842a: 359) gave the name as H. australis. Referring to Decaisne's 1841 publication and to a specimen sent to him by Decaisne, Kützing (1849: 879) published the species as H. prolifera Decaisne. The reason for changing the epithet is not known. No other species has been assigned to this genus.