Laurencia J.V.Lamouroux, 1813: 130

Classification:
Empire Eukaryota
Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Rhodophyta
Subphylum Eurhodophytina
Class Florideophyceae
Subclass Rhodymeniophycidae
Order Ceramiales
Family Rhodomelaceae
Tribe Laurencieae

Lectotype species: Laurencia obtusa (Hudson) J.V.Lamouroux

Original publication:Lamouroux, J.V.F. (1813). Essai sur les genres de la famille des thalassiophytes non articulées. Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 20: 21-47, 115-139, 267-293, pls 7-13.
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Type designated inSchmitz, F. (1889). Systematische Übersicht der bisher bekannten Gattungen der Florideen. Flora oder Allgemeine botanische Zeitung 72: 435-456, pl. XXI.
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Taxonomic status: currently recognized as a distinct genus.

Nomenclatural notes
"J'ai dédié ce genre à M. de Lalaurencie, ancien officier de marine, inspecteur d'académie dans l'université impériale, amateur des sciences naturelles..." (Lamouroux 1813: 130). The surname is also rendered La Laurencie. - (23 Jan 2011) - M.D. Guiry

Description: Erect thalli, up to 40 cm high, attached by discoidal to rhizoidal to encrusting holdfasts; thalli sparingly to highly branched in all directions or bilateral; branches cylindrical to flat; ultimate branchlets blunt to truncate, often claviform, not much narrower than other branches. Many species iridescent when alive. Polysiphonous, but soon forming several layers of pseudoparenchymatous cortication masking polysiphonous axes; apical cell sunken within a small pit, surrounded by branched, colorless, deciduous trichoblasts. Stoloniferous propagation common in some species (Godin 1981). Surface cortical cells with or without secondary pit connections between them, a character used to separate groups of species; 'Corps en cerise', intracellular, refringent, discoid to spheroid inclusions, are present in cortical and trichoblast cells in fresh material of some species (Feldmann and Feldmann 1950). Unequal lenticular thickening of medullary cell walls present in some species. Reproductive structures usually on branchlets, sometimes on main branches. Procarps formed in apical pits, cystocarps protruding from thallus surface, ostiolate. Spermatangial capitula cylindrical, formed in cup-shaped to deep, conceptacle-like pockets at lateral or terminal apices. Tetrasporangia on subcortical cells, products of divisions of elongated fertile pericentral cells (Saito 1967), occurring parallel to central axis or at right angles to central axis, a character important in separating groups of species; tetrasporangial initial cut off adaxially or abaxially from pericentral cell product, a character also used to separate groups of species.

Comments: Occurring on temperate to tropical shores of the world, littoral to sublittoral up to 65 m deep

Common names

(as Laurencia)
Hawaiian: Limu lipe'epe'e (Chapman & Chapman 1980).

NCBI Nucleotide Sequences

Numbers of names and species: There are 417 species (and infraspecific) names in the database at present, of which 129 have been flagged as currently accepted taxonomically.

Names: ('C' indicates a name that is currently accepted taxonomically; 'S' a homotypic or heterotypic synonym; 'U' indicates a name of uncertain taxonomic status, but which has been subjected to some verification nomenclaturally; 'P' indicates a preliminary AlgaeBase entry that has not been subjected to any kind of verification. For more information on a species click on it to activate a link to the Species database):

References
Papenfuss, G.F. (1947). Generic names of algae proposed for conservation. I.. Madroño 9: 8-17.

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: http://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=32789

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 19 May 2013.

Algaebase taxon LSID: urn:lsid:algaebase.org:taxname:8357