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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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Heterosiphonia crispella (C.Agardh) M.J.Wynne var. crispella

Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Thallus erect, to 10 mm tall, attached by rhizoidal filaments from lower cells, with 1–3 percurrent primary axes arising near the base. Primary axes polysiphonous, ecorticate, with 6 pericentral cells, these slightly offset in successive segments; branching distichous with pseudolaterals arising every 2 segments. Polysiphonous segments to 80 µm diam. near the thallus apex [L:B c. 1], broadening to 220 µm near the base [L:B c. 0.6]. Pseudolateral branches to 1.2 mm long, curved towards the apex, monosiphonous except for basal and often suprabasal polysiphonous segments (these with 4 pericentral cells), dichotomously divided every 2 cells; lower cells 50–65 µm diam., tapering gradually to outer cells 35–40 µm; apical cells 18–25 µm diam., pointed but without a spine.

Reproduction. Reproductive structures not seen.

Distribution. Widespread in tropical seas; epiphytic and epilithic in the subtidal.

[After J.M. Huisman in Algae of Australia: Marine Benthic Algae of North-western Australia, 2. Red Algae: 435 (2018)]