Metamastophora Setchell, 1943
Holotype species: Metamastophora flabellata (Sonder) Setchell
Original publication and holotype designation: Setchell, W.A. (1943). Mastophora and the Mastophoreae: genus and subfamily of Corallinaceae. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America 29: 127-135.
Request PDFDescription: Thalli comprising holdfasts, short stipes, and thin branched sheets. Organized into first- and second-order filaments (dimerous). First-order filaments (primigenous filaments) forming a unistratose layer of elongate cells (palisade cells). Second-order filaments (postigenous filaments) of one or more cells arising from both sides (dorsal and ventral) of first-order filaments. Outermost walls of epithallial cells rounded or flattened, not flared. Cells in contiguous filaments often joined by fusions; secondary pit-connections occasionally present in older parts. Trichocytes uncommon, but when present arising singly or in clusters from cells in first-order filaments. Reproductive cells forming within uniporate conceptacles projecting from erect parts of thalli. Tetrasporangia located in peripheral ring around a central columella. Apical sporangial plugs absent. Bisporangia unknown. Gametangia poorly known.
Information contributed by: H.W. Johansen. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2010-10-05 by M.D. Guiry.
Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.
Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Turner, J.A. & Woelkerling, W.J. (1982). Studies on the Mastophora-Lithoporella complex (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta). II. Reproduction and generic concepts. Phycologia 21: 218-235, 32 figs, 3 tables.
Comments: Present in southern Australia and southern Africa, in the former area recorded to a depth of 48 m. The arborescent habit is correlated with a paucity of calcification in lower parts of the fronds and hence they exhibit a considerable degree of flexibility. Metamastophora is placed in the Mastophoroideae because of a preponderance of cell fusions over secondary pit-connections; it appears most closely related to Lithoporella and Mastophora. These genera contain first-order filaments with stratified elongate cells. Furthermore, both Metamastophora and Mastophora have similar tetrasporangial conceptacles. Metamastophora is unique in the Mastophoroideae in having holdfasts and stipes, and in producing second-order filaments from both dorsal and ventral surfaces of the first-order filaments.
Verification of Data
Users are responsible for verifying the accuracy of information before use, as noted on the website Content page.
Contributors
Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera,
organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA)
and intended to be published in CD format.
These AlgaeBase descriptions are now being continually updated, and each current contributor is identified above.
The PSA and AlgaeBase warmly acknowledge the generosity of all past and present contributors and particularly the work of Dr Parker.
Descriptions of chrysophyte genera were subsequently published in J. Kristiansen & H.R. Preisig (eds.). 2001. Encyclopedia of Chrysophyte Genera. Bibliotheca Phycologica 110: 1-260.
Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=39460
Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 05 October 2010. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 20 April 2024
