Mastophoropsis Woelkerling, 1978
Holotype species: Mastophoropsis canaliculata (Harvey) Woelkerling
Original publication and holotype designation: Woelkerling, W.J. (1978). Mastophoropsis canaliculata (Harvey in Hooker) gen. et comb. nov. (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) in southern Australia. British Phycological Journal 13: 209-225.
Request PDFPrecise date of publication:
1 September 1978 (stated on journal issue cover and on first page of article). The requirements for valid publication are specified in the ICBN (International Code of Botanical Nomenclature).
Description: Plants calcified, lacking genicula, entirely pseudoparenchymatous; growth-form arborescent; composed of a basal holdfast and erect stipes bearing flexible ribbon-like branches that commonly have vein-like thickenings in older portions; growing attached to rocky substrates; haustoria unknown.
Thallus organization generally dorsiventral with conceptacles produced only on the dorsal surfaces of the ribbon-like branches; thallus construction monomerous throughout, consisting of a single system of branched laterally coherent filaments that contribute to a central core and a peripheral region where portions of core filaments or their derivatives curve outwards towards dorsal and ventral thallus surfaces; coaxial growth (in which cells of adjacent filaments in core region are aligned in arching tiers) not recorded; vein-like thickenings arising secondarily in older parts of branches, presumably from subepithallial initials. Most filaments usually terminating at thallus surface in conspicuous epithallial cells (one per filament); outermost walls of epithallial cells slightly rounded to flattened but not flared at the corners; cell elongation occurring mainly behind actively dividing subepithallial initials that are as short as or shorter than their immediate inward derivatives. Cells of adjacent filaments linked by cell fusions (best seen in transverse sections); secondary pit-connections unknown.
Gametangia and carposporangia developing in uniporate conceptacles. Spermatangia (male gametangia) and carpogonia (female gametangia) presumably produced in separate conceptacles; male and female conceptacles formed on different plants (so far as known). Spermatangia formed (so far as known) on unbranched filaments that arise from the conceptacle chamber floor and roof; spermatangial initials not seen and occurrence of overlaying protective cells not determined; spermatangial conceptacle roof formation apparently occurring centripetally from groups of vegetative filaments peripheral to the spermatangial filaments. Carpogonial stages unknown. Carposporophytes developing in conceptacles after presumed fertilization; mature carposporophytes apparently composed of an inconspicuous central fusion cell and several-celled filaments bearing terminal carposporangia.
Tetrasporangia formed in conceptacles on separate plants from gametangia and carposporangia. Roofs of tetrasporangial/bisporangial conceptacles multiporate and composed of cells. Tetrasporangia each containing four zonately arranged spores and producing an apical plug that blocks a roof pore before spore release. Bisporangia unknown.
Information contributed by: Wm. J. Woelkerling. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2024-02-24 by M.D. Guiry.
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: Athanasiadis, A. & Ballantine, D.L. (2024). Anatomy and classification of the Mesophyllaceae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta), based on phylogenetic principles. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 118: [i]-xii, [1]-216, 83 figures, 6 tables.
Comments: Information on the taxonomic history, nomenclature, and other matters associated with the name Mastophoropsis is contained in Woelkerling (1988: 180-185). Growth form terminology follows Woelkerling et al. (1993).
Data on the lectotype specimen of M. canaliculata, the type and only known species of Mastophoropsis,is presented in Woelkerling (1978), who also gave an account of the species; additional morphological/anatomical data on the species are provided in Woelkerling (1988: 180-185) and in Woelkerling (1996: 173-177). There is no information for the genus at present on carpogonial stages or on spermatangial initials & the possible occurrence of ‘protective cells’ overlying them. Few mature spermatangial conceptacles are known, and according to Woelkerling (1996: 177) there is some uncertainty as to whether at least some spermatangial filaments might be branched. The mode of spermatangial conceptacle roof development is inferred from sections of two mature male conceptacles (Woelkerling 1988: 184, fig. 221; Woelkerling 1996: 176, fig. 74D).
Biogeographically, Mastophoropsis presently is known only from the southern coast of Australia (South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania).
The lists below of diagnostic characters of Mastophoropsis, and of the higher taxa to which it belongs, are derived from data in Woelkerling (1978, 1988, 1996), Harvey, Broadwater, Woelkerling & Mitrovski (2003), Harvey, Woelkerling & Millar (2003), Le Gall & Saunders (2007), Woelkerling et al. (2008: 282) and/or Le Gall et al. (2009). Diagnostic characters are those that taken together distinguish a taxon from others of the same taxonomic rank (e.g. characters distinguishing Mastophoropsis from other genera of the Hapalidiaceae, subfamily Melobesioideae). Harvey, Woelkerling & Millar (2003: 653) also provide a diagnostic comparison of Mastophoropsis with other currently recognized non-fossil genera of Melobesioideae.
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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.
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Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 24 February 2024. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 08 May 2024
