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Herposiphonia pacifica Hollenb.

Reference
Pacific Sci. 22:549, Fig. 25 (1968)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Thallus red, attached by unbranched unicellular rhizoids, with digitate tips arising from the distal end of ventral pericentral cells. Indeterminate prostrate axes with circinate apices, with indeterminate axes arising laterally on alternate sides every 3 or 4 segments. Determinate lateral branches arising dorsally every 3 or 4 segments, 1 segment proximal to the indeterminate lateral branch. Prostrate axes terete, 130–145 µm diam. [segment L:B c. 1], with 11 or 12 pericentral cells. Determinate branches initially curved but becoming straight, unbranched, 2.6–3.4 mm and 11 or 12 segments long when mature, terete, 80–100 µm diam. [segment L:B mostly 1–1.5], with 14 or 15 pericentral cells, these noticeably narrower than the axial cell. Determinate axes with well-developed apical trichoblasts to 1.6 mm long, dichotomously divided to 7 times. Cells with plastids not transversely aligned.

Distribution. Widespread in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Habitat. Epilithic in the subtidal.

[After J.M. Huisman in Algae of Australia: Marine Benthic Algae of North-western Australia, 2. Red Algae: 517 (2018)]

John Huisman & Olga Nazarova, 3 August 2021

Distribution

IMCRA Regions
Shark Bay.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Carnarvon.