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Electronic Flora of South Australia Species Fact Sheet
Phylum Rhodophyta – Family Delesseriaceae
Synonym
Nitophyllum nottii Norris & Wynne 1968: 141, figs 1–8, 20, 22.
Thallus (Fig. 60A) medium red, 2–7 cm high, complanately and subdichotomously branched, 3–8 (–10) mm broad, margins smooth, entire, axils usually rounded, apices rounded and not tapering, with very occasional slight spines; veins absent; stipe slender, 1–10 mm long, simple or branched. Holdfast discoid, 1–2 mm across; epilithic. Structure. Growth marginal (Fig. 60B, C), without distinct apical cells but with numerous intercalary divisions, cells irregularly arranged, mature cells 20–40 µm across, L/D (1–) 1.5–2 (–4), often in longitudinal lines; blades largely monostromatic where young, 50–75 µm thick, becoming tristromatic below and polystromatic near the base, cortical cells equivalent. Cells multinucleate; rhodoplasts discoid, becoming slightly chained.
Reproduction: Gametophytes dioecious. Procarps (Fig. 54E) scattered, with a cover cell group (Fig. 60D), one sterile cell group and a 4-celled carpogonial branch (Fig. 60E). Carposporophytes (Fig. 60F) with a basal fusion cell and spreading, much branched, gonimoblast with clavate terminal carposporangia 20–30 µm in diameter; lower gonimoblast cells often pit-connected to cells of the primary cell plate. Cystocarps domed, 600–1000 µm across; pericarp ostiolate, 4–5 cells thick, cells tiered. Spermatangial sori (Fig. 60G) scattered, irregular in shape but often slightly elongate, 100–600 µm across, with the primary cells producing a layer of cortical initials (Fig. 60H) which cut off spermatangia in blocks corresponding to the primary cells.
Tetrasporangial sori (Fig. 59D) scattered, ovate to elongate, 150–700 µm across, with tetrasporangia mostly in two layers, cut off from inner cortical cells but sometimes large tetrasporangia appear to lie in a single layer (Fig. 59E) probably due to lack of the opposing layer, with an outer layer of cortical cover cells; tetrasporangia subspherical, 35–55 µm in diameter.
Type from Hood Canal, Washington, U.S.A., 10 m deep (Russell, 18.xii.1967; WTU, 238051).
Selected specimens: Apollo Bay, Vic., 0.5–1 m deep on pipeline (Parker & Womersley, 21.viii.1988; AD, A59237). B.P. Refinery, Western Port, Vic., 0–6 deep (Millar, 29.iii.1979; MELU, 23925; AD, A63281). Crawfish Rock, Westernport Bay, Vic., 10 m deep (Watson, 25.iv.1969; AD, A34374), 5–10 m deep (Watson, 29.viii.1971; AD, A39374), and 6 m deep (Watson, 17.xi.1974; AD, A46250). Pirates Bay, Eaglehawk Neck, Tas., 9–12 m deep (Gowlett-Holmes, 31.x.1994; AD, A64065). Taroona, Tasmania, 2–3 m deep near jetty (Shepherd, 19.iii.1975; AD, A46142-"Marine Algae of southern Australia" No. 410).
Distribution: Apollo Bay and Crawfish Rock, Westernport Bay, Vic., and SE Tasmania. Washington State, U.S.A.
Taxonomic notes: These SE Australian specimens appear indistinguishable in habit and structure from H. nottii from Washington, U.S.A. (checked by the author and Dr M.J. Wynne). This name was first applied in Australia to a specimen from Westernport Bay, Vic. (MELU, 23925, now AD, A68281) by Dr Alan Millar.
H. nottii is morphologically similar to the little-known N. pulchellum from Western Australia, differing in having smooth, straight, margins to the branches instead of the strongly crispate margins of the latter. It is also similar to some forms of the European N. punctatum (e.g. Maggs & Hommersand 1993, fig. 81). However, the procarp structure is that of Haraldiophyllum.
The disparate occurrence of H. nottii suggests it may be an adventive species from one region to the other.
References:
MAGGS, C.A. & HOMMERSAND, M.H. (1993). Seaweeds of the British Isles. Vol. 1. Rhodophyta. Part 3A, Ceramiales. (HMSO: London.)
NORRIS, R.E. & WYNNE, M.J. (1968). Notes on marine algae of Washington and southern British Columbia, III. Svesis 1, 133–146.
WYNNE, M.J. (1983). The current status of genera in the Delesseriaceae (Rhodophyta). Bot. Marina 26, 437–450.
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.
Illustrations in Womersley Part IIIA, 2003: FIGS 54E, 59D, E, 60.
Figure 54 enlarge
Fig. 54. Procarps. A. Platyclinia stipitata (AD, A61443). B. Myriogramme gunniana (AD, A57826). C. Schizoseris bombayensis (AD, A68032). D. Nitophyllum crispum (AD, A57770). E. Haraldiophyllum nottii (AD, A46142).
Figure 59 enlarge
Fig. 59. A–C. Haraldiophyllum erosum (A, AD, A33011; B,C, AD, A68070). A. Spermatangial sori. B. Tetrasporangial sori. C. Transverse section of a tetrasporangial sorus. D, E. Haraldiophyllum nottii (AD, A46142). D. A tetrasporangial sorus. E. Transverse section of a tetrasporangial sorus.
Figure 60 enlarge
Fig. 60. Haraldiophyllum nottii (AD, A46142). A. Habit. B. Apex of branch. C. Apical meristem. D. Procarps with cover cell group in focus. E. The same procarp, with carpogonial branch partly in focus. F. Section of mature cystocarp. G. Spermatangial sori. H. Transverse section of spermatangial sorus.
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