Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Sporochnales

Family Sporochnaceae

Carpomitra longicarpa Simons 1967: 357-361, fig. 1; pl. 1

Plants medium brown, up to 50 cm tall, comprising hard, callus-like holdfast bearing one to several primary axes; axes terete, up to 1 mm in diameter, alternately to oppositely branched, articulated, terminating in a rounded or flattened sterile knob. Branches thinner than main axis.

Sori borne laterally on branches, club-shaped, cylindrical, up to 6 mm high and 0.6 mm in diameter, with terminal ring-like collar above obvious constriction . Sori comprising inner tissue of elongated sterile cells and outer tissue of radiating sporangiferous filaments bearing unilocular sporangia. Sporangiferous filaments ca. 10 cells and 200 µm long, upper 4-5 cells swollen and pigmented. Sporangia cylindrical, up to 60 µm long x 15 µm wide, attached singly or severally to lower cells of sporangiferous filaments.

Collections, ecology and regional distribution

Recorded from Qologha (just east of Kei Mouth) to Aliwal Shoal, 50 km south of Durban (43-49) Sublittoral, mainly in deeper water (to at least 25 m).

World distribution: South African endemic.

Type locality: Mzamba, Eastern Cape (Silva et al. 1996).

Note: Fundamental differences between this species and other members of the genus suggest that it should probably be placed in another genus (see note in Stegenga et al .1997). BOL 141082 bears a note by AJK Millar, dated 20 January 2004 : “This represents a new undescribed genus…”

 

Carpomitra longicarpa, Qolora, Transkei.

Carpomitra longicarpa, club-shaped sorus with terminal collar.

Carpomitra longicarpa, cross section of vegetative axis, Mzamba (stained slide preparation).

Carpomitra longicarpa, cross section of tip of fertile thallus showing outer layer of radiating filaments bearing unilocular sporangia (Mzamba, stained slide preparation).

Carpomitra longicarpa, cross section of tip of fertile thallus, detail of radiating filaments bearing unilocular sporangia (Mzamba, stained slide preparation).

 

References Carpomitra

Silva, P.C., Basson, P.W. & Moe, R.L. (1996). Catalogue of the benthic marine algae of the Indian Ocean. University of California Publications in Botany 79: 1-1259.

Simons, R.H. (1967). A new species of brown alga from South Africa. Bothalia 9: 357-361, 1 fig, 1 plate. (longicarpa)

Stegenga, H., Bolton, J.J. and R. J. Anderson. 1997. Seaweeds of the South African west coast. Contributions from the Bolus Herbarium 18: 655 pp.

 

Cite this record as:

Anderson RJ, Stegenga H, Bolton JJ. 2016. Seaweeds of the South African South Coast.
World Wide Web electronic publication, University of Cape Town, http://southafrseaweeds.uct.ac.za; Accessed on 25 April 2024.