Halymenia lubrica Suhr, 1834: 733–734 (type locality: Algoa Bay, Cape Province, South Africa). J. Agardh, 1851 [1851–1863]: 292.
Kallymenia ? lubrica (Suhr) Barton, 1893: 141.
INDIAN OCEAN DISTRIBUTION: South Africa.
Note: Kützing (1849: 728) treated this species under the name Iridaea lubrica (Suhr) Kützing, citing as basionym Halymenia lubrica Suhr "Regensb. Fl. 1840. p. 276'' and thus confusing this species with Iridaea lubrica Suhr (1840: 276; type locality: "Neuholland''). He gave the provenance as South Africa. J. Agardh (1851 [1851–1863]: 259, 292), noting this confusion, pointed out that the provenance of I. lubrica was Australia and listed H. lubrica as a species inquirenda from South Africa. The most recent reference to I. lubrica is that by Lucas (1909: 24), who noted that it was an insufficiently known species. The relationship between the two species was elucidated by Papenfuss in his notes: "March 1955. I borrowed from Kiel Suhr's material of this species. The sheet contains two specimens: (1) a pressed plant labeled `Iridaea lubrica Suhr Herb S bot Zeit. 1840 Nova Hollandia' and (2) a fragment on mica labeled `Iridaea lubrica S Algoa-Bai'; and on a separate label, `Halymenia lubrica'. There is no question that the fragment is a piece cut off the terminal end of the mounted specimen and both, anatomically at least, clearly are of the same species. ( plant = ? Halymenia). In my mind there is little question that Halymenia lubrica Suhr (Flora, 1834, p. 733) and Iridaea lubrica Suhr (Flora, 1840, p. 276) are based on the same material (also see the close agreement in the diagnoses of Suhr). This is, moreover, as far as my experience goes, not a plant from South Africa, but no doubt one from Australia.'' Elsewhere in Papenfuss's notes we learn that the type of Halymenia lubrica was filed at Kiel under Aeodes ulvoidea Schmitz (q.v.), undoubtedly reflecting Schmitz's taxonomic opinion. A subsequent entry in Papenfuss's notes (19 June 1956) records a change of mind: "I received from `Herbarium Hamburgense' one of Suhr's specimens marked in his hand `Halymenia lubrica S Algoa Bai'. I shall regard this as the type (and consider it as a South African sp.). It has the same internal structure as the mat. from Kiel.'' Thus, the identity and provenance of this species (or perhaps these species) remains to be determined.