Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Acrochaetiales

Family Acrochaetiaceae

Acrochaetium brebneri (Batters) G. Hamel 1928: 185

Plants largely endophytic, differentiated into long irregularly branched prostrate filaments running parallel to the host’s surface, and several shorter ‘erect’ filaments bearing the reproductive structures, the latter often the only emergent parts. Cells 5-10 µm in diameter, in the long filaments up to 35 µm long, shorter in the erect filaments. Monosporangia terminal on erect filaments or sessile on superficial prostrate filaments, 13-25 x 8-10 µm. Spermatangia in corymbose clusters, carpogonia sessile. Carposporophytes comparatively large and rather loosely filamentous.

Collections, ecology and regional distribution

Recorded from False Bay to the Port Alfred area (17-39). Endophytic in various larger seaweeds.

World distribution: Western Europe, but may be more widely distributed and recorded under various names (Stegenga et al. 1997).

Type locality: Rennie Rocks, Plymouth, Devon, England (Yoo & Lee 1979 in Guiry & Guiry 2014).

Notes: see Stegenga (1985) for further details on this and other South African Acrochaetiaceae.

 

Acrochaetium brebneri. 1. Microscopic habit, with monosporangia. 2. Spermatangia-bearing erect axis. (Illustrations reproduced from Stegenga et al. 1997).

 

References Acrochaetium brebneri

Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2014. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 21 October 2014.

Hamel, G. (1928). Sur les genres Acrochaetium Naeg. et Rhodochorton Naeg.. Revue Algologique 3: 159-210.

Stegenga, H. (1985). The marine Acrochaetiaceae (Rhodophyta) of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 51: 291-330, 25 figs, 1 table.

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.

Yoo, S.A. & Lee, I.K. (1979). Summer algal flora of Gojeong-Ri, west coast of Korea. Korean Journal of Botany 22: 135-140.

Acrochaetium brebneri. 1. Microscopic habit, with monosporangia. 2. Spermatangia-bearing erect axis. (Illustrations reproduced from Stegenga et al. 1997).

 

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 19 April 2024.