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Service Notice

The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system and census were set to read-only mode on 1 October 2025. Taxonomic updates published since this time are not being reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or Western Australia’s taxonomic names census (Nomos). Conservation listings displayed on Florabase may also be out of date. Please refer to DBCA’s Threatened species and communities webpage for the most recent Threatened and Priority Flora List, noting that recent taxonomic updates are similarly not included. Our database migration is moving to a staging phase. We thank you for your patience as we ensure the integrity of our biodiversity data, develop new workflows, and train staff to use the new systems. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

The notice period started at 12:00 pm on Wednesday, 1 October 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Friday, 1 January 2027 +08:00.

Gloiotrichus fractalis Huisman & Kraft

Reference
Eur.J.Phycol. 74-76, figs 1-17 (1994)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current
Image

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Thallus to 17 cm high, pink to deep red, mucilaginous, with several percurrent axes and lateral branches from all sides, often appearing alternate-distichous or unilateral. Axes terete, lightly calcified; main axes 1–2 mm in diameter; lateral branches to 1 mm in diameter. Medulla with 5–15 filaments as well as adventitious filaments from basal cells of cortical fascicles; cells elongate, 90–120 × 12–15 µm, to 180 µm in diameter in older portions. Cortical fascicles subdichotomously branched; distal 2–5 cells unbranched; distal cells to 15 µm in diameter, with a conspicuous central pyrenoid, often bearing 1 or 2 glandular cells.

Reproduction. Spermatangial branches on subterminal cortical cells, 4 or 5 cells long; spermatangia 3–4 µm in diameter. Carpogonial branches with lower cells often secondarily branched. Carposporophyte to 250 µm in diameter.

Distribution. Occurs subtidally at depths of 6–20 m in the Houtman Abrolhos, W. Aust.

Habitat. G. fractalisgrows on coral and coral rubble.

John Huisman & Cheryl Parker, 3 August 2021

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Geraldton Sandplains.
IBRA Subregions
Geraldton Hills.
IMCRA Regions
Abrolhos Islands.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Greater Geraldton.