Bangiales

Bangiales is an order of multicellular red algae of the class Bangiophyceae containing the families Bangiaceae, Granufilaceae, and possibly the extinct genus Rafatazmia with one species, Rafatazmia chitrakootensis. They are one of the oldest eukaryotic organisms, possibly dating back to 1.6 billion years old. Many species are used today as food in different cultures worldwide. Their sizes range from microscopic (Bangiomorpha) to up to two meters long (Wildemania occidentalis). Many of its species are affected by Pythium porphyrae, a parasitic oomycete. Similar to many other species of red algae, they reproduce both asexually and sexually. They can be both filamentous or foliose, and are found worldwide.

==History== The first categorization of red algae currently placed inside Bangiales was the now-deprecated genus Phyllona by botanist John Hill in 1773. Bangiales itself was first categorized by Carl Nägeli in 1847. However, Bangiaceae had been categorized seventeen years prior in 1830 by Jean Étienne Duby and Bangia even earlier in 1819, by Hans Christian Lyngbye. Between 1819 and 1833, there were many discoveries by botanists like Carl Adolph Agardh and Gaillon; however many early genera were later deprecated and recategorized. No new discoveries were made until the late 19th century, where taxa such as Wildemania and Pyropia were discovered and classified. More modern discoveries include a new family, Granufilaceae, and several new genera, like Clymene, Neoporphyra, and Neothemis. As of 2024, the newest genus, Kuwaitiella, was discovered in 2022. Ongoing research continues to rearrange species, as recent genetic studies have revealed that many early morphologically classified genera were incorrect.