Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Cladophorales

Family Cladophoraceae

Cladophora coelothrix Kützing 1843: 272

Plants dark green, interwoven branched filaments forming mats; attached by rhizoids arising from basal, stoloniferous filaments. Upright branches arising from basal filaments. Growth mainly by division of conspicuous apical cell with intercalary divisions lower down the filaments. Upright filaments branched or unbranched; branched filaments with maximum of one lateral per cell, branching angle 20-50^o, ultimate filaments and apical cells often curved. Apical cells cylindrical with rounded tips, 57-75 µm in diameter, 5-15 times as long as broad; prostrate cells cylindrical, 75-120 µm in diameter, 2.5-5 times as long as broad.

Description based on Leliaert and Coppejans (2003).

Collections ecology and regional distribution

Recorded from Hluleka (on the shore and on mangrove prop-roots in Mtakatye Estuary) to Sodwana Bay (45-57). Found in the eulitoral zone and down to at least 20 m depth (Leliaert and Coppejans 2003).

World distribution: Widespread in temperate and seas, and previously recorded under many synonyms (Guiry & Guiry 2012).

Type locality: Gulf of Genoa, Italy (Leliaert and Coppejans 2003).

 

Cladophora coelothrix, re-drwn from Leliaert & Coppejans (2003: Fig. 2)

 

References Cladophora coelothrix

Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2012. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched July 2012.

Kützing, F.T. (1843). Phycologia generalis oder Anatomie, Physiologie und Systemkunde der Tange... Mit 80 farbig gedruckten Tafeln, gezeichnet und gravirt vom Verfasser. pp. [part 1]: [i]-xxxii, [1]-142, [part 2:] 143-458, 1, err.], pls 1-80. Leipzig: F.A. Brockhaus.

Leliaert, F. and E.Coppejans. 2003. The marine species of Cladophora (Chlorophyta) from the South African east coast. Nova Hedwigia 76: 48-52.

 

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 20 April 2024.