Six ISSR primers are employed to display the polymorphism of different phases and sexes of red algaGracilaria lemaneiformis, and two of them, P1 and P3, amplified distinct band patterns. The ISSR pattern amplified by primer P1 of the female gametophyte is identical to that of tetrasporophyte, but distinct from that of male gametophyte. Of the bands produced by primer P3, one is specific to female gametophyte. Three morphologically similar fronds can be easily identified using ISSR technique. Two specific markers, SM1 and SF3, related to male gametophyte and female gametophyte, are cloned and sequenced. The homologous sequences of SM1 are found to encode a hypothetical protein. There is no homologous sequence of SF3 that can be found in GenBank.