Antarctic red algae play important roles in the coastal ecosystems and industrial applications. Meanwhile, their unique physiological acclimation mechanisms to the extreme environments endow them to be ideal organisms for discovering new genes and new metabolic pathways. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptomes of Antarctic red algae Iridaea cordata (Turner) Bory and Curdiea racovitzae Hariot, and compared with their moderate temperature close relatives. The transcriptome sequences of I. cordata and C. racovitzae were assembled into 14055 and 12006 Unigenes, with an average length of 1473 bp and 1448 bp, respectively. The Lhca2, Lhca6 and Lhcb genes homologous to the green algae genes were found in I. cordata transcriptome while not in other red algae. Lhcf gene encoding fucoxanthine and Chl a/c binding protein presenting in brown algae and diatoms were identified in both I. cordata and C. racovitzae. Photolyase repairs UV-induced DNA damages. 6-4 photolyase, CPD I and CPD II genes were identified in the transcriptome of I. cordata, while only CPD II gene was found in the transcriptome of C. racovitzae. Although the functions of those specific genes in Antarctic red algae are expected further investigation, our study provides a foundation for the following researches on the acclimation mechanisms of seaweeds to the extreme light environments in Antarctica.