Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

Order Ectocarpales

Family Acinetosporaceae

Feldmannia G.Hamel

Plants uniseriate, filamentous, forming tufts comprising erect filaments attached by entangled basal rhizoids. Erect filaments mainly unbranched, with basal meristematic zone of short cells, cells lengthening distally and tapering slightly. Branching when present usually near base of filaments. Cells with numerous discoid plastids each with one pyrenoid. Plurilocular sporangia borne below meristematic zones on erect filaments. Unilocular sporangia in similar position when present. Sporangia usually pedicellate.

There are 37 species described, of which 23 are accepted currently (Guiry & Guiry 2011). We record a probable total of four species on the south coast of South Africa, two of which may not have been described and are only noted here.

Key to south coast species

1a. Plurilocular sporangia globular to ovoid, filaments 25-50 µm diameter near base	Feldmannia globifera
1b. Plurilocular sporangia cylindro-conical to conical, filaments 20-25 µm diameter near base	2
2a. Plurilocular sporangia borne on one-celled pedicel	Feldmannia sp 1
2b. Plurilocular sporangia sessile	3
3a. Plurilocular sporangia up to 180 µm long and 40 µm diameter, rather conical, cells of filaments near base  0.5 to 1 times as long as broad	Feldmannia irregularis
3b. Plurilocular sporangia up to 100 µm long, 25 (-30) µm diameter, cylindrico-conical, cells of filaments near base  1.2 - 2 1 times as long as broad	Feldmannia sp 2

 

References Feldmannia

Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2011. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched May 2011.

 

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 26 April 2024.