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Electronic Flora of South Australia Species Fact Sheet
Phylum Rhodophyta – Order Ceramiales – Family Ceramiaceae – Tribe Sphondylothamnieae
Selected citations: Huisman & Walker 1990: 424. Silva et al. 1996: 418.
Synonym
Wrangelia halurus Harvey 1855a: 546; 1859a: pl. 70; 1863, synop.: xxvii. J. Agardh 1876: 619. Bornet & Thuret 1880: 184. De Toni 1897: 130. Lucas 1909: 23. Lucas & Perrin 1947: 138. May 1965: 366. Sonder 1881: 29. Tate 1882: 21. Tisdall 1898: 511. Wilson 1892: 170. Womersley 1950: 181.
Thallus (Fig. 37C) mid red-brown to (commonly) grey-red, (5–) 10–15 cm high, sparsely and irregularly branched, with prostrate axes attached by haptera (Fig. 39B); epiphytic, usually on Amphibolis. Structure. Sub-apical cells bearing 4–5 whorl-branchlets, when mature subdi- or trichotomously branched and incurved, with adjacent whorls (Fig. 39A) regularly imbricate along the whole axis often with trapped sand grains; branches tapering only slightly, axial cells 200–500 µm in diameter, and L/D 3–5, terminal cells with rounded ends, median cells 50–60 µm in diameter and L/D 3.5–5. Indeterminate branches arising in positions of whorl-branchlets. Cortication rare, only near base of thallus, rhizoidal. Cells multinucleate; rhodoplasts discoid.
Reproduction: Gametophytes dioecious. Female axes (Fig. 39C) with 2 short terminal cells and the longer hypogenous cell bearing a single involucral filament, with the subapical cell bearing 2 sterile pericentral cells and a supporting cell with a sterile apical cell, and a lateral carpogonial branch. Development as in M. protensum with the fusion cell (Fig. 39D) producing gonimoblast cells, carposporophytes 650–1100 µm across with terminal clavate carposporangia 30–40 µm in diameter; the sterile cells of the procarp produce 4 inner involucral branchlets (Fig. 39D). Spermatangial heads (Fig. 39E) are subspherical, 45–90 µm in diameter, terminal on short cells borne on cells of the whorl-branchlets.
Tetrasporangia (Fig. 39F) are formed terminally or laterally on small cells borne on lower cells of the whorl-branchlets, 50–60 µm in diameter, tetrahedrally divided.
Type from Fremantle, W. Aust., on Amphibolis (Harvey); holotype in Herb. Harvey, TCD (Tray. Set 127).
Selected specimens: 10 km W of Eucla, S. Aust., on Amphibolis, drift (Womersley, 3.ii.1954; AD, A19301). Venus Bay, S. Aust., on Amphibolis, drift (Womersley, 12.ii.1954; AD, A19500). Corny Point, S. Aust., on Amphibolis and Laurencia, drift (Gordon, 23.ix.1968; AD, A32163). Tapley Shoal, Gulf St Vincent, S. Aust., 10 m deep (Shepherd, 2.ii.1969; AD, A33176). Aldinga, S. Aust., on Amphibolis, drift (Gordon, 29.vii.1966; AD, A30629). Port Elliot, S. Aust., on Amphibolis, drift (Womersley, 21.vi.1964; AD, A28003). West Bay, Kangaroo I., S. Aust., on Amphibolis, drift (Womersley, 6.i.1946; AD, A3256). Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo I., S. Aust., on Amphibolis, drift (Womersley, 17.i.1950; AD, Al2651). Stinky Bay, Nora Creina, S. Aust., drift (Gordon, 20.viii.1966; AD, A30666). Point Roadknight, Vic., on Amphibolis, drift (Womersley, 6.vi.1953; AD, A18767). Port Phillip, Vic. (MEL, 15359). Point Lonsdale, Vic., on Amphibolis, drift (Hansen, Jan. 1955; AD, A20468). Flinders, Vic., drift (Womersley, 18.i.1967; AD, A31503). Cats Bay, Phillip I., Vic., drift (Norris, 20.i.1963; AD, A27489). San Remo, Vic., drift (Sinkora A1977, 27.xi.1974; AD, A54217). Guyton Point, Robbins I., Tas., drift (Wollaston & Mitchell, 23.ii.1964; AD, A27727).
Distribution: Rottnest I., W. Aust. (Huisman & Walker) to San Remo, Vic., and Robbins I., N Tasmania.
Taxonomic notes: Medeiothamnion halurus is usually epiphytic on Amphibolis, rarely on algae.
References:
AGARDH, J.G. (1876). Species Genera et Ordines Algarum. Vol. 3, Part 1- Epicrisis systematic Floridearum, pp. i-vii, 1–724. (Weigel: Leipzig.)
BORNET, E. & THURET, G. (1880). Notes Algologiques. Fasc. II, pp. 71–196, Plates 26–50. (Paris.)
DE TONI, G.B. (1897). Sylloge Algarum omnium hucusque Cognitarum. Vol. 4. Florideae. Sect. 1, pp. 1–388. (Padua.)
GORDON, E.M. (1972). Comparative morphology and taxonomy of the Wrangelieae, Sphondylothamnieae and Spermothamnieae (Ceramiaceae, Rhodophyta). Aust. J. Bot. suppl. 4, 1–180.
HARVEY, W.H. (1855a). Some account of the marine botany of the colony of Western Australia. Trans. R. Jr. Acad. 22, 525–566.
HARVEY, W.H. (1859a). Phycologia Australica. Vol. 2, Plates 61–120. (Reeve: London.)
HARVEY, W.H. (1863). Phycologia Australica. Vol. 5, Plates 241–300, synop., pp. i-lxxiii. (Reeve: London.)
HUISMAN, J.M. & WALKER, D.I. (1990). A catalogue of the marine plants of Rottnest Island, Western Australia, with notes on their distribution and biogeography. Kingia 1, 349–459.
LUCAS, A.H.S. & PERRIN, F. (1947). The Seaweeds of South Australia. Part 2. The Red Seaweeds. (Govt Printer: Adelaide.)
LUCAS, A.H.S. (1909). Revised list of the Fucoideae and Florideae of Australia. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 34, 9–60.
MAY, V. (1965). A census and key to the species of Rhodophyceae (red algae) recorded from Australia. Contr. N.S.W. natn. Herb. 3, 349–429.
SILVA, P.C., BASSON, P.W. & MOE, R.L. (1996). Catalogue of the Benthic Marine Algae of the Indian Ocean. (University of California Press: Berkeley, Los Angeles & London.)
SONDER, O.W. (1881). In Mueller, F., Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Supplementum ad volumen undecinum: Algae Australianae hactenus cognitae, pp. 1–42, 105–107. (Melbourne.)
TATE, R. (1882). A list of the charas, mosses, liverworts, lichens, fungs, and algals of extratropical South Australia. Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 4, 5–24.
TISDALL, H.T. (1898). The algae of Victoria. Rep. 7th Meet. Aust. Ass. Adv. Sci., Sydney, 1898, pp. 493–516.
WILSON, J.B. (1892). Catalogue of algae collected at or near Port Phillip Heads and Western Port. Proc. R. Soc. Vict. 4, 157–190.
WOMERSLEY, H.B.S. (1950). The marine algae of Kangaroo Island. III. List of Species 1. Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 73, 137–197.
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part IIIC complete list of references.
Publication:
Womersley, H.B.S. (24 December, 1998)
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia
Rhodophyta. Part IIIC. Ceramiales – Ceramiaceae, Dasyaceae
©State Herbarium of South Australia, Government of South Australia
Illustrations in Womersley Part IIIA, 1998: FIGS 37C, 39.
Figure 37 enlarge
Fig. 37. A. Shepleya verticiliata (AD, A26574). B. Medeiothamnion protensum (AD, A33180). C. Medeiothamnion halurus (AD, A30666). Habit for each species.
Figure 39 enlarge
Fig. 39. Medeiothamnion halurus (A, AD, A27887; B, AD, A30629; C, AD, A28003; E, MEL, 15359; F, AD, A19301). A. Habit, showing imbricating whorl-branchlets. B. Prostrate axes with haptera, and erect axes. C. Axis with mature procarp. D. Young carposporophyte with fusion cell producing gonimolobes, with sterile periaxial cells. E. Development of spermatangial heads. F. Whorl-branchlet with tetrasporangia. (All as in Gordon 1972, courtesy of Aust. J. Bot.)
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