Halymenia carteri Huisman & De Clerck

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Thallus erect, foliose, uniformly pink, to 13 cm tall and 19 cm wide, with a distinct terete stipe 18 mm long and 1–2 mm diam., sharply demarcated from the broad orbicular blade that is 150–250 µm thick, essentially entire but with slightly lobed margins. Medulla with traversing filaments 5–10 µm diam., other irregularly aligned filaments, and very prominent refractive ganglionic cells, these staining very dark with aniline blue and clearly visible from the surface in slide preparations, irregularly shaped, with broad often torulose arms to 12–18 µm diam. Irregularly globular refractive cells also present, these lacking arms. Cortex thin, with 2–4 layers of pigmented cells, the outermost cells subspherical to ellipsoidal, occasionally flat-topped, oval to lunate in surface view, 5–10 µm diam.

Reproduction. Reproductive structures not observed.

Distribution. Known only from the type specimen, Entrance Pt, Broome Port area, Western Australia.

Habitat. Epilithic in a low-intertidal rock pool.

[After J.M. Huisman & O. De Clerck in Algae of Australia: Marine Benthic Algae of North-western Australia, 2. Red Algae: 284 (2018)]