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Electronic Flora of South Australia Genus Fact Sheet

Genus SYMPHYOCLADIA Falkenberg in Schmitz & Falkenberg 1897: 443.

Phylum Rhodophyta – Family Rhodomelaceae – Tribe Pterosiphonieae

Thallus prostrate to more-or-less erect, flat, to a few cm long and a few mm broad, often marginally lobed, with numerous apical cells on the growing margin producing axial systems which remain congenitally laterally attached. Thallus mostly 2 cells thick, ecorticate or corticated, with branched trichoblasts arising marginally close to dormant apical cells. Attachment by rhizoids from the ventral surface. Structure. Apical cells dividing transversely, subapical cells obliquely to form laterals and cutting off 5 or 8 pericentral cells, 3 or 4 on each side of thallus, pericentral cells remaining undivided; lateral axial branches usually 2 cells apart.

Reproduction: Reproductive organs borne on margins of thalli. Procarps borne on basal cells of trichoblasts; cystocarps ovoid, sessile on polysiphonous stalks, pericarp 2 cells thick, with few cortical cells. Spermatangial organs on trichoblasts.

Stichidia borne marginally, basally to largely fused, tetrasporangia spirally to linearly arranged, one per segment, in the fused basal parts or the upper free parts.

Type species: S. marchantioides (Harvey) Fal kenberg.

Taxonomic notes: A genus of 4 species, the type (from New Zealand and widespread in the western Pacific) and 3 further species from Japan (Yoshida 1998, p. 1083; Uwai & Masuda 1999).

Transverse section of the thallus show similar cell arrangement on both sides, i.e. not dorsi-ventral. Symphyocladia has been discussed by Ardré (1973) and Kraft & Wynne (1992, p. 31).

References:

ARDRÉ, F. (1973). Remarques sur la structure et les affinites des Symphyocladia (Rhodomélacées, Céramiales). Botaniste 56, 19–54.

KRAFT, G.T. & WYNNE, M.J. (1992). Heterostroma nereidiis gen. et. sp. nov. (Rhodophyta), a dorsiventral rhodomelaceous marine alga from Western Australia. Phycologia 31, 16–36.

SCHMITZ, F. & FALKENBERG, P. (1897). Rhodomelaceae. In Engler, A. & Prantl, K., Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien. T.1. Abt. 2, pp. 421–480. (Englemann: Leipzig.)

UWAI, S. & MASUDA, M. (1999). Transfer of Pterosiphonia pumila Yendo to the genus Symphyocladia (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta). Phycol. Res. 47, 125–133.

YOSHIDA, T. (1998). Marine Algae of Japan. (Uchida Rokakuho Publ. Co.: Tokyo.)

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

Publication: Womersley, H.B.S. (24 February, 2003)
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia
Rhodophyta. Part IIID. Ceramiales – Delesseriaceae, Sarcomeniaceae, Rhodomelaceae
Reproduced with permission from The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part IIID 2003, by H.B.S. Womersley. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Copyright Commonwealth of Australia.


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