Gastroclonium reflexum
| Gastroclonium reflexum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Gastroclonium reflexum in Crouan brothers herbarium | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Clade: | Archaeplastida |
| Division: | Rhodophyta |
| Class: | Florideophyceae |
| Order: | Rhodymeniales |
| Family: | Champiaceae |
| Genus: | Gastroclonium |
| Species: | G. reflexum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gastroclonium reflexum (Chauvin) Kützing
| |
Gastroclonium reflexum is a small red alga (Rhodophyta) reported from Ireland and Britain.
Description
[edit]This small alga grows to about 6 cm long: the fronds grow from a branched holdfast are reflexed and form haptera where they meet the rock. The branches are hollow, terete to 6 cm long and constricted by septa giving a beaded appearance. The secondary branching is dichotomous, distichous. In colour they are dark purplish red. [1] The species is very similar to Chylocladia verticillata with which it may be confused. [2] Spermatangia, cystocarps and polysporangia have been recorded. [1]
Distribution
[edit]Gastroclonium is widely distributed in the north Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, where it grows epilithically or epiphytically in the littoral or sublittoral zones. [1][3]
In Great Britain, it has been recorded from Cornwall, Devon, Sussex, Norfolk, Pembrokeshire and Glamorgan. [1] It was first recorded from Ireland by W.H.Harvey as Chylocladia reflexa Leorm. and published in 1846. [1][4][5] Outside the British Isles, Gastroclonium has been recorded from the Channel Islands, Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean Sea, Namibia, Morocco and South Africa. [3]
Records
[edit]Specimens collected from Lough Swilly by W. Sawers in 1854 are now preserved in the Ulster Museum (BEL) (F7058; F7059 and F7060) were redetermined as Chylocladia verticillata by Guiry as Chylocladia verticillata. [5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e L. M. Irvine (1983). Seaweeds of the British Isles, Volume 1, Part 2A. British Museum (Natural History), London. ISBN 0-565-00871-4.
- ^ O. Morton (2003). "The marine algae of County Donegal, Ireland". Bull. Ir. Biogeog. Soc. 27: 3–164.
- ^ a b M. D. Guiry & Wendy Guiry (2004-10-04). "Gastroclonium reflexum (Chauvin) Kützing". AlgaeBase.
- ^ W. H. Harvey (1846). Phycologia britannica... Reeve and Benham, London.
- ^ a b M. D. Guiry, J. P. Cullinane & P. M. Whelan (1979). "Notes on Irish marine Algae - 3. new records of Rhodophyta from the Wexford coast". Ir. Nat. J. 19: 304–307.