Electronic Flora of South Australia Genus Fact Sheet

Genus AUSTROPHYLLIS Womersley & Norris 1971: 27

Phylum Rhodophyta – Class Florideophyceae – Order Gigartinales – Family Kallymeniaceae

Thallus divided into numerous compressed branches, lying essentially in one plane. Structure. Medulla of large, ovoid cells with filaments of elongate cells between them, and a smaller-celled cortex; stellate and refractive cells absent.

Reproduction: Carpogonial branch systems monocarpogonial with 2–5 elongate or lobed subsidiary cells. Auxiliary cell systems with an ovoid auxiliary cell and 2–9 ovoid subsidiary cells which occasionally bear 1 or 2 further cells. Fusion cell forming connecting filaments to auxiliary cells. Carposporophyte with dense masses of carposporangia and intermixed filaments, protruding slightly to distinctly above the thallus surface and then with a thick, ostiolate pericarp forming a hemispherical-conical cystocarp.

Tetrasporangia cruciately divided, scattered on upper branches.

Type species: A. alcicornis (J. Agardh) Womersley & Norris 1971: 27.

Taxonomic notes: Austrophyllis is named for its southern distribution and superficial similarity to Callophyllis. In habit and structure the two species are similar to Callophyllis but differ in having separate auxiliary cell groups and thus being non-procarpic. In general thallus structure and reproduction Austrophyllis is also similar to Pugetia, but the latter genus is always foliose and essentially undivided.

References:

WOMERSLEY, H.B.S. & NORRIS, R.E. (1971). The morphology and taxonomy of Australian Kallymeniaceae (Rhodophyta). Aust. J. Bot. Suppl. 2, pp. 1–62.

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

Author: H.B.S. Womersley

Publication: Womersley, H.B.S. (14 January, 1994)
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia
Rhodophyta. Part IIIA, Bangiophyceae and Florideophyceae (to Gigartinales)
Reproduced with permission from The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part IIIA 1994, by H.B.S. Womersley. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Copyright Commonwealth of Australia.

KEY TO SPECIES OF A USTROPHYLLIS

1. Thallus much branched, branches mostly 1–4 mm broad; cystocarps hemispherical-conical, confined to lesser branches	A. alcicornis
1. Thallus with branches 1–2 cm broad below, (1–) 3–5 mm broad near their apices; cystocarps swollen, scattered over most of the thallus	A. harveyana

Email Contact:
State Herbarium of South Australia