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Electronic Flora of South Australia Species Fact Sheet
Phylum Phaeophyta – Order Fucales – Family Cystoseiraceae
Thallus (Fig. 147A) medium brown, 20–80 (–100) cm long, lax and relatively slender. Holdfast surrounding the stem of Amphibolis antarctica for a length of 0.5–1 cm; epiphytic. Primary axes compressed, 2–6 (–8) mm broad and 1–1.5 mm thick with thinner edges, fairly straight, tapering only slightly to near their apices, alternately distichously branched from the face of the axis; lowest parts denuded in older plants, with small branch residues 2–3 mm long; secondary axes frequent, 1–3 cm apart, 5–25 cm long, not or slightly retroflex; tertiary axes occasional, 2–5 cm long. Laterals 2–6 cm long, alternately branched one to several times, irregularly to subdistichously, with slender, terete, ramuli 2–6 cm long and 200-,500 µm in diameter. Vesicles usually numerous, replacing the lower 1–3 ramuli of laterals, elongate-ovoid, occasionally subspherical, 3–7 (–10) mm long and (1–) 2–4 (–5) mm in diameter, pedicellate, apiculate to rounded at their apex.
Reproduction: Thalli monoecious. Receptacles (Fig. 149D) simple or branched, 2–4 (–8) cm long, rarely surmounting a vesicle, with mostly irregularly and distantly scattered conceptacles, often in opposite pairs, 0.5–1 mm in diameter at conceptacles. Conceptacles bisexual, ostioles opposite and more or less in two rows, with simple paraphyses; oogonia sessile, ovoid, 80–110 µ long and 50–65 µm in diameter; antheridia on branched paraphyses, elongate-ovoid, 16–26 µm long and 8–12 pm in diameter.
Type from Dutton Beach, Portland Bay, Vic. Nizamuddin & Womersley, 13.iv.1959); holotype in ADU, A2398 1-isotypes distributed as "Marine Algae of southern Australia" No. 54.
Selected specimens: The type. Dutton Beach, Portland Bay, Vic., drift on Amphibolis antarctica (Beauglehole, 8.vii.1951 and 6.iv.1963; ADU, A21801 and ADU, A26529 resp.). Port Phillip, Vic (MEL, 400).
Distribution: Only known from the type locality and Port Phillip, Vic.
Taxonomic notes: C. cymodoceae is the only species of Cystophora occurring only epiphytically and appears largely restricted to Portland Bay, Victoria. Apart from the habit, it is characterised by the relatively slender axes and elongate-ovoid, often apiculate, vesicles.
References:
WOMERSLEY, H.B.S. (1964). The morphology and taxonomy of Cystophora and related genera (Phaeophyta). Aust. J. Bot. 12, 53–110, Plates 1–16.
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part II complete list of references.
Publication:
Womersley, H.B.S. (14 December, 1987)
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia
Part II
©Board of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, Government of South Australia
Illustrations in Womersley Part II, 1997: FIGS 147A, 149D.
Figure 147 enlarge
Fig. 147. A. Cystophora cymodoceae (ADU, A23981, holotype). B. Cystophora subfarcinata (ADU, A57317).
Figure 149 enlarge
Fig. 149. Receptacles of species of Cystophora. A. Cystophora congesta (ADU, A26738). A lateral with receptacles and a vesicle. B,C. Cystophora retroflexa (B, ADU, A26787; C, ADU, A26883). B. A secondary axis and laterals. C. A lateral with receptacles and a vesicle. D. Cystophora cvmodoceae (ADU, A2398l, holotype). A lateral and ramuli with vesicles. E–G. Cystophora subfarcinata (E, ADU, A6551; F, ADU, A5719; G, ADU, A19876). E. Laterals of the e-vesiculate form. F. Loosely branched laterals with vesicles. G. Much branched lateral with basal vesicles. H. Cystophora cuspidata (ADU, A21084).
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