Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Ceramiales

Family Callithamniaceaae

Crouania francescoi Cormaci, G Furnari et Scammacca 1978: 259-261, pls. I, II (= figs. 1-7) ('francisci')

Plants sympodial: some of the laterals grow to a bigger size than the main axis, though without much system, total height of the plants ca. 1 cm. Basal parts prostrate, attached by multicellular rhizoids from the basal cells of the branchlets. Main axes up to ca. 100 µm, the cells to about twice as long as broad. Indeterminate laterals originating at intervals of two or three segments, mostly to one side. Every segment with three determinate laterals, subterminal on the cells, in older segments arising almost in the middle of the cell; indeterminate laterals additional to the determinate laterals, originating somewhat higher up. Determinate laterals branched several times, with three (to four) branches per cell right to the top, cells ovoid. Laterals bent upward, the external cells forming an almost continuous layer, probably enveloped in slime. Determinate laterals up to ca. 100 µm long. Tetrasporangia almost round, attached to the lower cells of the determinate branchlets, remaining enclosed within the sheath of determinate laterals, almost round, measuring 60-75 µm in diameter, tetrahedrally divided. Sexual reproductive specimens not seen.

Collections, ecology and regional distribution

Recorded from False Bay to northern KwaZulu-Natal (Stegenga et al. 1997) (18-58). Occurs on a number of different algal substrata as well as on sponges, and also sometimes in algal turfs where substrata are uncertain.

World distribution: mainly a Mediterranean species, also recorded from Mauritania (references in Guiry & Guiry 2015).

Type locality: Sicily, Italy (Silva et al. 1996).

 

Crouania francescoi. 1. Habit. 2 Detail of axis with whorl branchlets and indeterminate branch initial. Reproduced from Stegenga et al. (1997).

Crouania francescoi, vegetative thallus, Goukamma, Walker Point. Stained slide.

Crouania francescoi, tetrasporangial thallus, Goukamma, Walker Point. Stained slide.

 

References Crouania francescoi

Cormaci, M., Furnari, G. & Scammacca, B. 1978. Crouania francsci nov. sp. (Rhodophyta, Ceramiaceae) nouvelle espèce de la Sicile orientale. Revue Algologique, Nouvelle Serie 13: 259-263, 2 plates.

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.

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 20 April 2024.