Table 2.

Taxonomic, morphological characters and ecological distributions (habitat types, irradiance and relative abundance across the Great Barrier Reef) of CCA species tested in this study.

Species	Family/Sub-family	Collection site	Key morpho-anatomical characteristics	Distribution		Relative abundance (GBR shelf)			Herbarium numbers	Genbank		Reference (Distribution and GBR abundance)
				Habitat	Irradiance level	Inner	Mid	Outer		psbA	rbcL
Lithothamnion cf. proliferum	Hapalidiaceae	Davies Reef	Branching. Lobed branches; very smooth surface; multiporate conceptacles; cell fusions	Crevices, caves	Low	Rare	Rare	Rare	DP-2428	OP830448	OP830463	Dean et al.15
Melyvonnea cf. madagascariensis	Mesophyllumaceae	Davies Reef	Branching. Surface with protuberances; multiporate conceptacles; coaxial hypothallus and cell fusions	Shallow–deep reef	Low–mid	Rare	Common	Rare	DP-2493; DP-2436	OP830452	OP830467	Dean et al.15, G.D.-P. pers. obs
Adeylithon cf. bosencei	Hydrolithoideae	Davies Reef	Branching. Cylindrical branches; strongly tessellate surface; trichocytes in loosely defined fields; cell fusions	Shallow–deep reef	Low–high	Rare	Rare	Common	DP-2438	OP830454	OP830469	Peña et al.49, G.D.-P. pers. obs
Hydrolithon cf. reinboldii	Hydrolithoideae	Palm Island Group	Encrusting. Knobby protuberances; strongly tessellate surface; dimerous hypothallus; cell fusions	Shallow–deep reef	Mid	Common	Moderate	Moderate	DP-2526	OP830457	OP830472	Dean et al.15, G.D.-P. pers. obs
Amphiroa cf. foliacea	Lithophylloideae	Davies Reef	Branching. Articulated (geniculate); cylindrical to flattened branches; secondary pit connections	Shallow–mid reef	Mid–high	Rare	Moderate	Moderate	DP-2437	OP830453	OP830468	G.D.-P. pers. obs
Lithophyllum cf. insipidum	Lithophylloideae	Palm Island Group	Encrusting. Dimerous thallus; strongly tessellate surface; secondary pit connections present	Crest, shallow reef	Mid–high	Rare	Common	Common	DP-2559	OP830456	OP830471	Dean et al.15
Lithophyllum cf. kotschyanum	Lithophylloideae	Davies Reef	Branching. Thick and robust branches; slightly tessellate surface; secondary pit connections	Reef crest	Mid—high	Moderate	Moderate	Common	DP-2434	OP830451	OP830466	Dean et al.15
Lithophyllum cf. pygmaeum	Lithophylloideae	Davies Reef	Branching. Pointy to round branches; slightly tessellate surface; secondary pit connections	Crest, shallow reef	Mid–high	Rare	Moderate	Moderate	DP-2430	OP830449	OP830464	Dean et al.15
Titanoderma cf. tessellatum	Lithophylloideae	Davies Reef	Encrusting. Concentric whorls; large green–brown conceptacles; secondary pit connections	Shallow–deep reef	Low–mid	Rare	Rare	Rare	DP-2427	OP830447	OP830462	Dean et al.15
Neogoniolithon cf. fosliei	Neogoniolithoideae	Davies Reef	Encrusting. Very large conceptacles; skin chicken like surface; individual trichocytes; cell fusions	Reef crest	High	Rare	Common	Common	DP-2489-2	OP830450	OP830465	Dean et al.15
Porolithon cf. onkodes "Orange"	Metagoniolithoideae	Davies Reef	Encrusting. ‘Orange’ species in Porolithon cf. onkodes complex; trichocytes in well-defined fields; cell fusions	Reef crest	High	Moderate	Common	Common	DP-2423	OP830444	OP830460	Dean et al.15, G.D.-P. pers. obs
Porolithon cf. onkodes "Chalky"	Metagoniolithoideae	Davies Reef	Encrusting. ‘Chalky’ species in Porolithon cf. onkodes complex; trichocytes in well-defined fields; cell fusions	Reef crest	High	Moderate	Common	Common	DP-2425	OP830445	OP830460	Dean et al.15, G.D.-P. pers. obs
Porolithon cf. onkodes "Yellow conceptacles"	Metagoniolithoideae	Palm Island Group	Encrusting. Conspicuous yellow-green conceptacles; trichocytes in well-defined fields; cell fusions	Reef crest	High	Common	Rare	Rare	DP-2467	OP830446	OP830461	G.D.-P. pers. obs
Sporolithon sp.	Sporolithaceae	Davies Reef	Encrusting. Thick thallus; smooth surface; presence of sori	Crevices, caves	Low	Moderate	Rare	Rare	DP-2439	OP830455	OP830470	Dean et al.15, G.D.-P. pers. obs
Ramicrusta sp.	Peyssonneliaceae	Davies Reef	Encrusting. Thick thallus only partially calcified (surface soft)	Crevices, caves	Low	Rare	Moderate	Moderate	DP-2435	OP830458	OP830473	G.D.-P. pers. obs

Herbarium numbers refer to the collection of Diaz-Pulido at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. Representative sequences of each CCA species for the psbA and rbcL gene regions were submitted to GeneBank. G.D.-P. refers to Guillermo Diaz-Pulido.