Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Erythropeltidales

Family Erythrotrichiaceae

Erythrotrichia platyphylla Stegenga, Engledow, Bolton & Anderson 2001: 369-372, figs 2-10

 Plants solitary; juveniles filamentous, uniseriate; mature plants foliaceous, monostromatic, linear to broadly lanceaolate or cuneate, up to 8 mm tall and to 3 mm wide. Stipe uniseriate, about 30 µm diameter, often only 4-5 cells long; holdfast formed from basal cell which develops outgrowths into host tissue. Cells in young blades in longitudinal rows, in mature blades un-ordered, angular, sometimes rather elongated, 10-20 x 7.5-10 µm; thallus 20-25 µm thick. Single stellate chloroplast per cell with single central pyrenoid. Monosporangia formed by unequal division of cells over most of thallus surface; monospores hemispherical, 10-12 µm in diameter leaving small, rather flattened remainder of sporangial mother cell.

Collections, ecology and regional distribution

Epiphytic on large brown algae (Anthophycus, Sargassum, Ecklonia radiata). Recorded from Port Elizabeth to Kei Mouth (36-43).

World distribution: a South African endemic.

Type locality: Morgan Bay, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa (Stegenga et al. 2001).

Note: Stegenga et al. (2001) provide a detailed discussion of possible relationships between this and similar species.

 

Erythrotrichia platyphylla, two thalli, largest ca. 1 mm wide.

Erythrotrichia platyphylla, showing stipitate base of upright.

Erythrotrichia platyphylla, detail of cells in surface view.

 

References Erythrotrichia platyphylla

Stegenga, H., Engledow, H.R., Bolton, J.J. & Anderson, R.J. (2001). The distribution of the family Erythropeltidaceae (Rhodophyta) along the temperate Southern African coast, with the description of Erythrotrichia platyphylla nov. spec. Nova Hedwigia 73(3-4): 367-379.

 

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.