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Service Notice

The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system, WAHerb, and DBCA’s taxonomic names application, WACensus, have been set to read-only mode since 1 October 2025. Recent taxonomic changes are not reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or in the census. We are hoping to be able to reinstate services around December 15; we will provide an update at that time.

The notice period started at 9:00 am on Wednesday, 1 October 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Monday, 15 December 2025 +08:00.

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Episporium centroceratis Moebius

Reference
Ber.Deutsch.Bot.Ges. (1885)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Thallus minute, hemispherical to globular, 300–500 µm across, supported on a relatively large basal cell, pale in colour; parasitic on Centroceras. Structure. Basal cells attached to host cells, elongate, becoming 20–35 µm in diameter at upper broader end and L/D 2–3, with several branches of cells from the upper end compacted to form the globular thallus; lower cells ovoid, 10–15 µm in diameter and L/D 1–1.5, decreasing to terminal cells 6–8 µm in diameter and L/D 2–3. Cells uninucleate; plastids absent.

Reproduction. Gametophytes monoecious or dioecious. Carpogonial branches borne on outer filaments, 2(–4) cells long, the carpogonium conical with a long trichogyne, the hypogynous cell elongate, with or without shorter lower cells. Carposporophytes hemispherical, slightly projecting on the thallus surface, with a relatively large fusion cell. Spermatangia terminal on outer cells, ovoid, 2.5–3(–4) µm in diameter. Tetrasporangia terminal on filaments, ovoid, 10–15 µm in diameter, cruciately or decussately divided.

Distribution. NW Australia, Lord Howe I. In southern Australia, only known from Wanna, S. Aust.

[After Womersley, Mar. Benthic Fl. Southern Australia IIIC: 422 (1998)]