Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Ceramiales

Family Rhodomelaceae

Bostrychia tenella (Lamouroux) J. Agardh 1863: 869-871

Plants dark purple to brown, repent, forming mats of neatly feather-like thalli on the substratum; attached by rhizoids arising from bifurcations on the underside of prostrate axes; axes terete, up to 500 µm in diameter; alternately branched from each third to fourth axial cell, up to 3-4 orders of branches; ultimate and penultimate branches usually monosiphonous, other axes polysiphonous, composed of an axial filament surrounded by 5-7 pericentral cells, main axes with cortex 2-3 cells thick; transverse division of pericentral leaving 2 tiers per axial cell. Tetrasporangia in stichidia on ultimate branchlets, in whorls of 4 with 2(-3) cover cells, 30-70 µm in diameter, tetrahedrally divided. Sexual reproductive structures not seen. (See also De Clerck et al. 2005).

Collections, ecology and regional distribution

Recorded from Kei Mouth area to northern KwaZulu-Natal (43-58). Found in the upper eulittoral zone and splash zone of rocky shores, particularly on shaded rocks and in crevices, often with B. radicans.

World distribution: Widespread in tropical seas worldwide, including east and west Africa (Guiry & Guiry 2010).

Type locality: St Croix, Virgin Islands.

 

Bostrychia tenella, re-hydrated material (BOL 143203, Mtakatye Estuary, Hluleka) showing typical feather-like appearance.

Bostrychia tenella, re-hydrated material (BOL 143203, Mtakatye Estuary, Hluleka) bearing tetrasporangial stichidia.

Bostrychia tenella, re-hydrated material (BOL 143203, Mtakatye Estuary, Hluleka) showing branching detail.

Bostrychia tenella, re-hydrated material (BOL 143203, Mtakatye Estuary, Hluleka) detail of tetrasporangia.

 

References Bostrychia tenella

Agardh, J.G. 1863. Species genera et ordines algarum, seu descriptiones succinctae specierum, generum et ordinum, quibus algarum regnum constituitur. Volumen secundum: algas florideas complectens. Part 2, fasc. 3. pp. 787-1138, 1158-1291. Lundae [Lund]: C.W.K. Gleerup.

De Clerck, O, Tronchin, E. M., Schils, T. 2005. Red algae. In: De Clerck, O., J.J.Bolton, R. J. Anderson and E. Coppejans, 2005. Guide to the Seaweeds of Kwazulu-Natal. National Botanic Garden of Belgium, Brussels (Scripta Botanica Belgica), pp. 130-269.

Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2010. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched October 2010.

 

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.