Palmoclathrus Womersley, 1971

Holotype species: Palmoclathrus stipitatus Womersley

Original publication and holotype designation: Womersley, H.B.S. (1971). Palmoclathrus, a new deep water genus of Chlorophyta. Phycologia 10: 229-233.

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Description: Thalli dark green, forming expanded blades terminally on terete stipes to 8 cm high and 5-10 mm diameter; stipes simple, or occasionally branched, with annular ridges present on upper portions; several stalks arising from expanded discoid base 1-6 cm in diameter. Blade with solid base to 2 cm across with 1-2 mm thick, cup-shaped, highly perforate upper portion to 15 cm across. Blade perforations arise near slightly undulate margin, reaching a maximum of 5 mm in diameter. Blades with cells dispersed in mucilaginous wall matrix without intercellular connections; cells forming almost continuous layer just underneath blade surface, becoming more widely dispersed in blade interior. Cell walls smooth but faint striations present in matrix. Cells ovoid, 8-10 µm long. Cells uninucleate, apparently without eyespots and contractile vacuoles. Single chloroplast cup-shaped and parietal, without pyrenoids but with numerous starch grains. Flagellated stages and methods of sexual and asexual reproduction unknown. Palmoclathrus marine and rare; other than drift material, specimens epilithic, from 7-60 m depth; reported only from southern Australia. Disc and stipe apparently perennial, forming new blades each year. Pigments typical of Chlorophyta but with high proportion of chlorophyll b to a (ratio a:b = 1.02). Assignment of Palmoclathrus to Palmellaceae or Palmellopsidaceae will remain provisional until flagellated stages and reproduction have been studied. With its perennial life history and differentiated stipe and blade, genus has most elaborate morphology in either family.

Information contributed by: D. Garbary & A. Couté. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2013-04-20 by M.D. Guiry.

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

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Leliaert F., Verbruggen H. & Zechman F.W. (2011). Into the deep: new discoveries at the base of the green plant phylogeny . Bioessays 33: 683-692.

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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Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in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. 20 April 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 20 April 2024