Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Ceramiales

Family Ceramiaceae

Antithamnionella verticillata (Suhr) Lyle 1922: 349, figs. 5, 6

Plants partly creeping, attached by rhizoids developed from the basal cells of up to three laterals. Erect parts up to ca. 5 mm, with indeterminate laterals at intervals of 2 to 4 segments. Main axes (creeping) ca. 150 µm in diameter, the segments 2-3 times longer than broad. Segments with 4-6 rather short and more or less upright laterals. Determinate laterals unbranched or with a single branch, about 8(-10) cells long (but sometimes only 4 or 5 cells long), often with a prominent gland cell on the second cell, occasionally a gland cell on the third cell or a second gland cell on the one carrying the first; gland cells only slightly flattened, up to 30 µm in largest diameter.

Tetrasporangia usually borne singly on the basal cell of determinate branchlets, measuring 63x57 µm, tetrahedrally divided. Spermatangia not seen on south coast material; according to Stegenga et al. (1997) not different from A. ternifolia (as A. tasmanica). Carposporophytes with three (to four) gonimolobes, ripening successively. Ripe gonimolobe ca. 175 µm in diameter, carpospores ca. 35-40 µm in cross section. The thallus appears to grow on from one of the branches of the cell bearing the carposporophyte.

Collections, ecology and regional distribution

A rather common species along the whole of the Cape south coast, but so far not seen up the South African west coast west of False Bay (18-47). Epilithic, epiphytic or epizoic.

World distribution: Also recorded from Namibia (Rull Lluch 2002).

Type locality: "Kaffernküste", South Africa (Silva et al. 1996).

 

Antithamnionella verticillata. 1. Detail of main axis and whorl-branches. 2. Tetrasporangia. Reproduced from Stegenga et al. (1997).

Antithamnionella verticillata. Sterile thallus, with gland cells. Stained slide, Mkambathi.

Antithamnionella verticillata. Tetrasporangial thallus, stained slide, Mkambathi.

Antithamnionella verticillata. Female thallus, stained slide, Mkambathi.

 

References Antithamnionella verticillata

Lyle, L. 1922. Antithamnionella, a new genus of algae. J. Bot. 60: 346-350, 6 figs.

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.

Rull Lluch, J. 2002. Marine benthic algae of Namibia. Scientia Marina 66 (Supplement 3): 258 pp.

Stegenga, H., Bolton, J.J. & 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 18 November 2024.