Kraftia Shepley & Womersley, 1983

Holotype species: Kraftia dichotoma Shepley & Womersley

Original publication and holotype designation: Shepley, E.A. & Womersley, H.B.S. (1983). The Dumontiaceae (Cryptonemiales, Rhodophyta) of southern Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 107: 201-217, 6 figs.

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Description: Upright, soft, multiaxial, subdichotomously branched to eight orders. Branches slightly compressed. Medulla filamentous, with secondary pit connections. Cortex of subdi-, trichotomously branched filaments of elliptical to ovoid cells, some terminating in thick-walled, distally rounded, hyaline hairs. Monoecious. Carpogonium terminating a long, distally recurved, adventitious filament with sterile cells borne proximally. Fertilized carpogonium contacting enlarged cell(s) of carpogonial branch, and fusion product initiating connecting filaments that contact successive intercalary auxiliary cells on a highly branched adventitious filament. Three to four gonimoblast initials produced from remnant of connecting filament attached to auxiliary cell. Most cells of gonimoblast maturing into numerous, small carposporangia. Cystocarp embedded. Spermatangia cut off outer 3-4 layers of cortical cells. Tetrasporophyte unknown. Spore germination: One division within spore wall, then one or both cells producing rhizoid-like filaments that eventually branch.

Information contributed by: S.C. Lindstrom. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2009-09-12 by Stephen Cusack.

Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.

Gender: This genus name is currently treated as feminine.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Womersley, H.B.S. (1994). The marine benthic flora of southern Australia - Part IIIA - Bangiophyceae and Florideophyceae (Acrochaetiales, Nemaliales, Gelidiales, Hildenbrandiales and Gigartinales sensu lato). pp. [1]-508, 167 figs, 4 pls, 4 maps. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study.

Comments: Known only from southern Australia and only as an epiphyte of the seagrass Amphibolis.

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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Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in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=39217

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
Stephen Cusack in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 12 September 2009. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 25 April 2024