Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Erythropeltidales

Family Erythrotrichiaceae

Erythrotrichia bertholdii  Batters 1900: 375

Plants comprising a single erect filament arising from a small multicellular basal disc. Erect filament a few mm to (rarely) a few cm long, uniseriate becoming multiseriate distally; uniseriate region 25-30 µm in diameter. Monosporangia produced by unequal division of cells, after monospore release the remaining sickle-shaped cell grows back into its original shape.

Collections, ecology and regional distribution

Epiphytic on larger algae. Recorded along the entire SA west coast and as far east as Port Alfred (1-39), but may be more widespread as it is often overlooked because it is small.

World distribution: Adriatic and north-eastern Atlantic coasts (Guiry & Guiry 2011).

Type locality

Scilly Isles, England (Brodie & Irvine 2003).

Note: Stegenga et al. (1997) record Erythrotrichia carnea (Dillwyn) J. Agardh from the west coast as “remaining uniseriate or becoming multiseriate distally”. However, Brodie and Irvine (2003) separate uniseriate and multiseriate species, including E. carnea among the former species. All our south coast specimens become multiseriate (as do at least some west coast specimens), and are morphologically most similar to Erythrotrichi bertholdii.

 

Erythrotrichia bertholdii, dense growth of individual thalli.

Erythrotrichia bertholdii, young thalli developing from basal discs- epiphytic on Polysiphonia.

Erythrotrichia bertholdii; monosporangia.

 

References Erythrotrichia bertholdii

Batters, E.A.L. (1900). New or critical British marine algae. Journal of Botany, British and Foreign 38: 369-379, pl. 414.

Brodie, J. & Irvine, L. M. 2003. Seaweeds of the British Isles. Volume 1. Rhodophyta. Part 3B. Bangiophycidae. Pp. xii + 167 + map. Andover: Intercept.

Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2011. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched May 2011.

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.

 

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 25 April 2024.