Melanema Min-Thein & Womersley, 1976
Holotype species: Melanema dumosum (Harvey) Min-Thein & Womersley
Original publication and holotype designation: Min-Thein, U. & Womersley, H.B.S. (1976). Studies on southern Australian taxa of Solieriaceae, Rhabdoniaceae and Rhodophyllidaceae (Rhodophyta). Australian Journal of Botany 24: 1-166, 69 figs.
Request PDFDescription: Plants reach 10 cm in length and are erect, generally in clusters from a discoid base, terete, and irregularly branched. Apices are uniaxial, each axial cell bearing a single periaxial fascicle. The medulla is filamentous, with rhizoidal filaments surrounding the prominent central axial filament. Gametophytes are monoecious. Carpogonial branches are 3-celled, directed outwardly, and may bear a sterile cell on the basal cell. Auxiliary cells appear to be located distal and adjacent to the supporting cells, presumably in a procarpic relationship. Gonimoblast initials are single and inwardly directed. Following diploidization, the young gonimoblasts are surrounded by nutritive cells borne on adjacent cortical cells, although at maturity the carposporophyte is apparently not surrounded by a filamentous hull. Inner gonimoblast cells and the auxiliary cell are incorporated into a linear fusion cell that is lateral to the central axial filament. Inner gonimoblast filaments radiating from the fusion cell bear chains of up to 4 carposporangia, the carpospores escaping through an ostiole in the hemispherically protruding pericarp. Tetrasporangia are basally pit-connected.
Information contributed by: G.T. Kraft. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2010-10-08 by M.D. Guiry.
Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.
Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Schneider, C.W. & Wynne, M.J. (2007). A synoptic review of the classification of red algal genera a half a century after Kylin's "Die Gattungen der Rhodophyceen". Botanica Marina 50: 197-249.
Comments: Despite the anomalies of uniaxial structure and apparent possession of procarps, Gabrielson and Hommersand (1982a) have transferred Melanema from the Caulacanthaceae, where it was placed by Min-Thein and Womersley (1976, as the Rhabdoniaceae) to the Solieriaceae, as a member of the tribe Areschougieae. Distribution: Endemic to southern Australia, where it occurs on rocks on open coasts from low intertidal pools to at least 20 m depths.
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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. 08 October 2010. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 19 April 2024
