Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Gigartinales

Family Kallymeniaceae

Thamnophyllis pocockiae R.E. Norris 1964: 105-110, figs 20-26; pls 4,5

Plants foliaceous, membranous, deep red, with a small holdfast and short stipe. Blade expanding sharply from stipe, with several deeply-incised lobes, up to 20 cm long and 40 cm wide. Margin usually dentate or fimbriate, with untidy proliferations and short irregular branches at apices. Medulla of central layer of longitudinally-arranged, smallish cells, between two layers of large rounded cells; stellate cells present in medulla of mature tissues. Outer cortex of 1-2 layers of small round to ovoid cells. Tetrasporangia scattered over thallus, about 18x27 µm, irregularly divided. Cystocarps scattered over thallus, up to 1 mm diameter, bulging more towards one side than the other, ostiolate.

Collections ecology and regional distribution

Recorded from St Helena Bay on west coast to Kei Mouth area (11-43). Subtidal, usually epiphytic on other seaweeds.

World distribution: South African endemic.

Type locality: St Helena Bay, Western Cape (Silva et al. 1996).

 

Thamnophyllis pocockiae, Tsitsikamma.

Thamnophyllis pocockiae, detail of thallus margins.

Thamnophyllis pocockiae, cross section of thallus.

Thamnophyllis pocockiae, stellate cell detail.

Thamnophyllis pocockiae, carpogonial system.

Thamnophyllis pocockiae, cross section, cortex.

Thamnophyllis pocockiae, cross section through mature cystocarp.

Thamnophyllis pocockiae, 1. Habit. 2. Cross section with tetrasporangia and stellate medullary cell. Reproduced from Stegenga et al. (1997).

 

References Thamnophyllis pocockiae

Norris, R. E. 1964. The morphology and taxonomy of South Africa Kallymeniaceae. Botanica Marina 7: 90-129.

Silva, P.C., Basson, P.W. & Moe, R.L. 996. Catalogue of the benthic marine algae of the Indian Ocean. University of California Publications in Botany 79: 1-1259.

 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 24 April 2024.