About
Contact
Links
Electronic Flora of South Australia
Electronic Flora of South Australia
Census of SA Plants, Algae & Fungi
Identification tools
 

Electronic Flora of South Australia Species Fact Sheet

Laurencia arbuscula Sonder 1845: 55; 1848: 177; 1880: 29.

Phylum Rhodophyta – Family Rhodomelaceae – Tribe Laurencieae

Selected citations: J. Agardh 1852: 769. Cordeiro-Marino et al. 1983: 29, figs 1–29. Harvey 1849a: 83; 1855a: 544; 1863, synop.: xxvi. Huisman & Walker 1990: 436. Kützing 1849: 855; 1865: 25, pl. 72a, b. Saito & Womersley 1974: 828, figs 3A, 11, 12. Silva et al. 1996: 503. Tate 1882a: 22. Tisdall 1898: 512. Wynne 1998: 43.

Synonyms

Laurencia botryoides var. minor Harvey 1863, synop.: xxvi.

Laurencia obtusa var. regia Harvey 1863, synop. xxvi.

Laurencia regia (Harvey) Yamada 1931: 234, pl. 22a.

Laurencia rigida sensu Lucas 1909: 38. Levring 1946: 226(?). [NON J. Agardh 1876: 651.]

Thallus (Fig. 208A) dark red-brown to red, firm, cartilaginous, 5–15 cm high, with one to several long axes developing long laterals, radially branched and usually pyramidal; all branches terete, with abundant short ramuli throughout, main axes (0.5–) 0.7–1.5 mm in diameter, decreasing to 0.7–1 mm in lateral branches and to 300–500 (–800) µm in diameter in the short ramuli. Holdfast discoid, with numerous axes, 2–5 mm across; epilithic. Structure. Epidermal cells (Fig. 205F) compact, isodiametric and (15–) 20–35 1 µm across; in surface view, elongating slightly below to L/D 1.5–2 (–3), with secondary pit-connections and corps en cerise; inner cortical cells compact, without lenticular thickenings. Cells with discoid rhodoplasts, chained in larger cells.

Reproduction: Gametophytes dioecious. Procarps not observed. Carposporophytes with a basal fusion cell and short branched gonimoblast with clavate terminal carposporangia 30–55 µm in diameter. Cystocarps (Fig. 208B) on short stalks or subsessile, broad-based, ovoid-conical, 600–1000 µm in diameter; pericarp ostiolate, with no or a slight neck. Spermatangial receptacles (Fig. 208C) in summit of shortly clavate ramuli 500–900 µm across, spermatangia borne on trichoblasts.

Tetrasporangia in short, branched, often fastigiate, clusters of ramuli (Fig. 208D), each 300–600 (–800) µm in diameter and (0.5–) 3–4 mm long, cut off abaxially in parallel arrangement, 80–130 µm in diameter.

Type from W. Aust. (Preiss), probably near Fremantle; holotype in MEL, 1006897.

Selected specimens: Point Valliant, Two People Bay, W. Aust., mid eulittoral pool (Womersley, 30.viii.1979; AD, A50973). Head of Great Australian Bight, S. Aust., low eulittoral (Womersley, 4.ii.1954; AD, A19151). Cape Carnot, S. Aust., mid eulittoral pool (Womersley, 26.viii.1975; AD, A46499). Crinolin Point, Coffin Bay, S. Aust., uppermost sublittoral (Womersley, 30.xi.1975; AD, A46813 - "Marine Algae of southern Australia" No. 168). Marino, S. Aust., low eulittoral (Womersley, 13.viii.1972; AD, A42609). Petrel Cove, Victor Harbor, S. Aust., low eulittoral (Saito, 6.ii.1972; AD, A41951). Cape Jervis, S. Aust., just sublittoral (Womersley, 18.i.1973; AD, A42962). Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo I., S. Asut., uppermost sublittoral (Kraft, 6.iv.1972; AD, A42432). Robe, S. Aust., very low eulittoral, slipway reef (Womersley, 7.x.1972; AD, A42776). Cape Lannes, S. Aust., lower eulittoral pools (Womersley, 14.v.1972; AD, A42244). Port MacDonnell, S. Aust., uppermost sublittoral at "Wagon Wheels" (Womersley, 23.iv.2000; AD, A68521). Little Beach, Discovery Bay, Vic., lower eulittoral (Beauglehole, 14.i.1950; AD, A15612). Shoreham, Western Port, Vic., edge of rockshelf (Sinkora A1363, 29.x.1971; AD, A41348). San Remo, Vic., in deep pool (Sinkora A1900, 27.xi.1974; AD, A62732). Cape Liptrap, Vic., near low tide level (Sinkora A2200, 18.x.1975; AD, A48433). Walkerville, Vic., lower eulittoral (Sinkora A2386, 23.ii.1978; AD, A53577). West Head, Stanley, Tas., low eulittoral (Bennett, 30.i.1955; AD, A20585).


Distribution map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of SA

Distribution: Rottnest I., W. Aust., to Walkerville, Vic., and N Tasmania.

Subtropical western Atlantic (Wynne 1998, p. 43). Brazil (Cordeiro-Marino et al. 1983).

Taxonomic notes: Laurencia arbuscula is a slender but rigid species, growing near to low tide level on somewhat sheltered coasts. In general form it resembles L. tasmanica but is considerably more slender; further detailed comparisons however are warranted.

References:

AGARDH, J.G. (1852). Species Genera et Ordines Algarum. Vol. 2, Part 2, pp. 337–720. (Gleerup: Lund.)

AGARDH, J.G. (1876). Species Genera et Ordines Algarum. Vol. 3, Part 1 - Epicrisis systematis Floridearum, pp. i-vii, 1–724. (Weigel: Leipzig.)

CORDEIRO-MARINO, M., FUJII, M.T. & YAMAGUISHI-TOMITA, N. (1983). Morphological and cytological studies on Brazilian Laurencia. 1: L. arbuscula Sonder (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta). Rickia 10, 29–39.

HARVEY, W.H. (1849a). Nereis Australis, pp. 65–124, Plates 26–50. (Reeve: London.)

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. (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.

KÜTZING, F.T. (1849). Species Algarum. (Leipzig.)

KÜTZING, F.T. (1865). Tabulae Phycologicae. Vol. 15. (Nordhausen.)

LEVRING, T. (1946). A list of marine algae from Australia and Tasmania. Acta Horti gothoburg 16, 215–227.

LUCAS, A.H.S. (1909). Revised list of the Fucoideae and Florideae of Australia. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 34, 9–60.

SAITO, Y. & WOMERSLEY, H.B.S. (1974). The southern Australian species of Laurencia (Ceramiales: Rhodophyta). Aust. J. Bot. 22, 815–874.

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

SONDER, O.G. (1845). Nova Algarum genera et species, quas in itinere ad oras occidentales Novae Hollandiae, collegit L. Preiss, Ph.Dr. Bot. Zeit. 3, 49–57.

SONDER, O.W. (1848). Algae. In Lehmann, C., Plantae Preissianae. Vol. 2, pp. 161–195. (Hamburg.)

SONDER, O.W. (1880). In Mueller, F., Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Supplementum ad volumen undecinum: Algae Australianae hactenus cognitae, pp. 1–42, 105–107. (Melbourne.)

TATE, R. (1882a). 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.

WYNNE, M.J. (1998). A checklist of benthic marine algae of the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic: first revision. Nova Hedwigia Beih. 116, 1–155.

YAMADA, Y. (1931). Notes on Laurencia, with special reference to the Japanese species. Univ. Calif Pubis Bot. 16, 185–311.

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 205F, 208.

Figure 205 image

Figure 205   enlarge

Fig. 205. A. Laurencia majuscula (AD, A41231). Transverse section. B. Laurencia aldingensis (AD, A44448). Longitudinal section. C. Laurencia forsteri (AD, A41855). Transverse section with lenticular thickenings. D. Laurencia clavata (AD, A42231). Longitudinal section. E. Laurencia shepherdii (AD, A42795). Longitudinal section. F. Laurencia arbuscula (AD, A42244). Transverse section. (All as in Saito & Womersley 1974, courtesy of Aust. J. Bot.)

Figure 208 image

Figure 208   enlarge

Fig. 208. Laurencia arbuscula (A, AD, A46813; B–D, AD, A42244). A. Habit. B. Cystocarpic branch. C. Spermatangial branch. D. Tetrasporangial branch. (B–D, as in Saito & Womersley 1974, courtesy of Aust. J. Bot.)


Disclaimer Copyright Disclaimer Copyright Email Contact:
State Herbarium of South Australia
Government of South Australia Government of South Australia Government of South Australia Department for Environment and Water