Electronic Flora of South Australia Species Fact Sheet

Codium mamillosum Harvey 1855c:565; 1858: p1. 41.

Phylum Chlorophyta – Order Codiales – Family Codiaceae

Selected citations: Lucas 1936: 53. Silva & Womersley 1956: 269, fig. 6.

Thallus (Fig. 77A) medium green, more or less globose, to 8 cm in diameter, attached by a tuft of rhizoids, firm when living but becoming soft. Utricles (Fig. 78A) in small clusters, elongate-clavate, (400–) 450–1000 µm in diameter at the apices and often expanded shortly below (to 1500 µm) then tapering to the base, (3–) 4–7 (–9) mm long; utricle apex rounded to subtruncate, wall slightly to moderately thickened (to 40 µm) and becoming finely lamellate; hairs absent. Medullary filaments 40–100 µm in diameter, with several from the much broader utricle base, often branched or contricted near their origin. Gametangia narrowly ellipsoid to ovoid, often tapering above, 130–250 µm in diameter, (350–) 500–800 µm long, 1–3 per utricle. 1–2 mm below apices.

Lectotype from "Swan River", W. Aust. (probably near Fremantle); in Herb. Harvey, TCD (Alg. Aust. Exsicc. 578).

Selected specimens: Seven mile beach, N. of Dongara, W. Aust., drift (Womersley, 14 .ix.1979; ADU, A51341). City Beach, Perth, W. Aust. (Royce 1200, 7.v.1952; in PERTH, UC). Northern Great Australian Bight, S. Aust., 42 m deep (Symond, 5.v.1973; ADU, A43513). Off Outer Harbour, S. Aust., 16 m deep (Loan, 9.viii.1963; ADU, A26646). Rocky Point beach, Kangaroo I., S. Aust., drift (Womersley, 26.viii.1950; ADU, A13361). Dutton Bay, Portland, Vic., drift (Womersley, 13.iv.1959; ADU, A22663).

Distribution map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of SA

Distribution: From Dongara, W. Aust., to Warrnambool, Vic. Hawaiian Is., Japan.

Taxonomic notes: C. mamillosum occurs at low tide level in shaded situations under moderate wave action, but is essentially a sublittoral species extending down to 42 m. It is a distinctive species in form and in the very large utricles.

References:

HARVEY, W.H. (1855c). Some Account of the marine botany of the colony of Western Australia. Trans. R. Ir. Acad. 22, 525–566.

HARVEY, W.H. (1858). Phycologia Australica. Vol. 1, Plates 1–60. (Reeve: London.)

LUCAS, A.H.S. (1936). The Seaweeds of South Australia. Pt. I. Introduction and the Green and Brown Seaweeds. (Govt Printer: Adelaide.)

SILVA, P.C. & WOMERSLEY, H.B.S. (1956). The genus Codium (Chlorophyta) in southern Australia. Aust. J. Bot. 4, 261–289.

The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part I complete list of references.

Author: H.B.S. Womersley

Publication: Womersley, H.B.S. (31 May, 1984)
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia
Part I
©Board of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, Government of South Australia

Illustrations in Womersley Part I, 1984: FIGS 77A, 78A.

Figure 77   enlarge

Fig. 77. A. Codium mamillosum (ADU, A43513). B. Codium pomoides (ADU, A46816). C. Codium laminarioides (ADU, A50719). D. Codium silvae (ADU, A50695, type). E. Codium galeatum (ADU, A46820). F. Codium duthieae (ADU, A37513).

Figure 78   enlarge

Fig. 78. Utricle clusters with gametangia. A. Codium mamillosum (Royce 1200, in PERTH, UC). B. Codium pomoides (Cribb 75.16 in UC). C. Codium laminarioides (Cribb 61.42 in UC). D. Codium silvae (ADU, A50695, type). E. Codium silvae, apex of utricle. F. Codium galeatum (lectotype left and Royce 1196 right). G. Codium duthieae (ADU, A13624). (After Silva & Womersley 1956.)

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