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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 Conservation listings displayed on Florabase may also be out of date.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.

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Melanothamnus delicatulus (Hollenb.) Huisman

Reference
Algae of Australia: Marine Benthic Algae of North-western Australia, 2. Red Algae 539 (2018)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Thallus with prominent prostrate axes attached by pit-connected rhizoids arising from lower pericentral cells, and simple or sparsely branched upright axes to 3 mm tall. Upright axes 25–60 μm diam. Pericentral cells 4, with trichoblasts/scar cells on every segment, in a spiral pattern with a 1/4 divergence.

Reproduction. Tetrasporangia in spiral series of up to 15 sporangia, more mature proximally, subspherical, 35–50 μm diam. when mature, markedly distending the bearing branch, tetrahedrally divided. Other reproductive structures not observed.

Distribution. Occurs in tropical waters of the Indian and western and central Pacific Oceans. In Western Australia known from the Dampier Archipelago and Robroy Reef, Kimberley.

Habitat. epilithic in the subtidal.

[After J.M. Huisman in Algae of Australia: Marine Benthic Algae of North-western Australia, 2. Red Algae: 539–542 (2018)]