Family: Sphacelariaceae |
Bocas Species Database Habitat: Growing on PVC tube of sewage outlet, to 1.5 m depth. Distribution: Sphacelaria novae-hollandiae, S. rigidula and S. tribuloides are reported from Europe, Atlantic Islands, North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands, South America, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, Asia, South-west Asia, South-east Asia, Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand. Characteristics: Thalli filamentous, dark brown, forming cushion-like mats ~6 mm high. Filaments slender and delicate, ~50 μm in diameter, multiseriate below the apical region, uniseriate at apex. Prominent apical cell measures 36 μm wide, 115 μm high. Multiseriate filaments composed of 2-5 longitudianl segments. Lateral, uniseriate hairs of 7 cells and 15 μm in diameter present. Intercalary cells of main filaments ~20 μm wide, ~60 μm high. Developing propagules borne on three-celled uniseriate stalk, rounded-triangular in shape, bearing distally a bilateral initial of a propagule arm. Propagules ~270 μm high and ~90 μm wide at distal end, uppermost layer composed of 4 cells. Notes: Propagules on specimens collected from Wild Cane Cay were not sufficiently numerous to enable identification at the species level. The observed propagules were still immature due to the lack of “arms”. Three species of Sphacelaria have been recorded from the Caribbean basin: S. novae-hollandiae, S. rigidula and S. tribuloides; however, there are inconsistencies in the species illustrations of S. novae-hollandiae and S. tribuloides in the floristic treatments of Mendoza-González et al. (2000) and Littler and Littler (2000). |