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Electronic Flora of South Australia Genus Fact Sheet

Genus CALOGLOSSA (Harvey) Martens 1869: 234, 237

Phylum Rhodophyta – Family Delesseriaceae

Thallus forming loose entangled mats, main branches bearing alternate, exogenous indeterminate lateral branches, with endogenous and adventitious proliferous branches from the nodes and margins. Blades of flat, linear to clavate internodes and narrower, more or less terete, nodes, attached by uniseriate rhizoids usually from the nodal pericentral cells. Structure. Apical cells dome shaped, axial cells cutting off lateral pericentral cells, then ventral (lower) and dorsal (upper) pericentral cells, the lateral cells functioning as the first cells of second-order rows which produce third-order rows from their inner cells. Lateral cell rows 2–20 cells long, forming monostromatic wings to the blades which have a central midrib 3 cells thick; secondary pit-connections usually numerous between wing cells.

Reproduction: Gametophytes usually dioecious. Procarps borne on axial cells, usually in series with only one developing post-fertilization. Fertile pericentral (supporting) cell forming first a cover cell by an anterior division, then a 4-celled carpogonial branch; post-fertilization the carpogonium fuses with the auxiliary cell via a connecting cell, and the fusion cell produces branched gonimoblast filaments bearing short chains of ovoid carposporangia. Cystocarps ovoid, ostiolate, sessile on the blades, pericarp of 8–10 erect filaments with each cell cutting off 2 outer pericentral cells and the lower cells also forming cortical cells. Spermatangial sori covering the blades between the midrib and the margins, on both surfaces, with a layer of initials each cell of which produces several spermatangia.

Tetrasporangial sori develop below the blade apices from second- and third-order cells, each cell cutting off adaxially a tetrasporangium and then cover cells on both surfaces; tetrasporangia normally tetrahedrally divided, cover cells often irregularly lobed.

Type species: C. leprieurii (Montagne) Martens 1869: 234, 237.

Taxonomic notes: Authorship of Caloglossa is discussed by Silva et al. (1996, p. 449), and the genus was monographed most recently by King & Puttock (1994), who recognise 8 species. While mainly a tropical-subtropical genus, C. leprieurii is a widespread species from tropical to cool temperate waters, and the tropical C. ogasawaraensis also occurs in southern Australia.

References:

KING, R.J. & PUTTOCK, C.F. (1994). Morphology and taxonomy of Caloglossa (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta). Aust. Syst. Bot. 7, 89–124.

MARTENS, G. von (1869). Beiträge zur Algen-Flora Indiens. Flora 52, 233–238.

SILVA, P.C., BASSON, P.W. & MOE, R.L. (1996). Catalogue of the Benthic Marine Algae of the Indian Ocean. (Univ. California Press: Berkeley.)

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

Author: H. B. S. Womersley

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.

KEY TO SPECIES OF CALOGLOSSA

1. Thallus branches mostly 0.6–2 (–3) mm broad, markedly constricted at the nodes, internodes 20–40 cells broad; branching of main axes exogenous, also endogenous from central axial cells at the nodes

C. leprieurii

1. Thallus branches slender, 100–200 (–300) µm broad with only slightly constricted nodes, internodes 3–7 (–8) cells broad; branching exogenous near apices and adventitious from pericentral cells

C. ogasawaraensis


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