Lithophyllum Philippi, 1837: 387

Classification:
Empire Eukaryota
Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Rhodophyta
Subphylum Eurhodophytina
Class Florideophyceae
Subclass Corallinophycidae
Order Corallinales
Family Corallinaceae
Subfamily Lithophylloideae

Lectotype species: Lithophyllum incrustans Philippi

Original publication:Philippi, R.A. (1837). Beweis, dass die Nulliporen Pflanzen sind. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 3: 387-393, figs 2-6, pl. IX.

Type designated inFoslie, M. (1898). Systematical survey of the Lithothamnia. Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskabs Skrifter 1898(2): 1-7.
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Taxonomic status: currently recognized as a distinct genus.

Taxonomic notes
According to Campbell & Woelkerling (1990), Titanoderma is a heterotypic synonym of Lithophyllum - (13 Mar 2009) - Wendy Guiry

Description: Thalli comprising dorsiventral, attached crusts sometimes beset with protuberances, or unattached subglobose masses. Crustose parts consisting of first-order filaments (primigenous filaments) only (monomerous) or both first- and second-order filaments (dimerous), the latter (postigenous filaments) at about right angles to the former. First-order filaments either arranged in decumbent, arching tiers of cells (coaxial anatomy) or curving upward toward the thallus surface (plumose anatomy). Cells in first-order filaments rarely stratified and elongated (palisade cells). Outermost walls of epithallial cells rounded or flattened, not flared. Cells in contiguous filaments often joined by secondary pit-connections; cell fusions absent. Trichocytes rare. Reproductive cells forming within uniporate conceptacles. Tetrasporangial and bisporangial conceptacles sometimes containing columellas. Apical sporangial plugs absent. Gametangia poorly known.

Comments: Bispores produced instead of tetraspores in some species, e.g., in L. incrustans in the British Isles where the incidence of bispore production increases from south to north and the proportion of sexual plants decreases. Dominating rocky surfaces below 25 m off S. California. Species limits blurred in some instances; Cabioch (1969a) found that juvenile stages of L. incrustans were identical to fully-developed L. orbiculatum. Unusual cytoplasmic inclusions in cells appear to be protein. Lithophyllum is most closely related to Titanoderma, with some phycologists believing they are congeneric.

NCBI Nucleotide Sequences

Numbers of names and species: There are 338 species (and infraspecific) names in the database at present, of which 110 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):

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=95

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 25 May 2013.

Algaebase taxon LSID: urn:lsid:algaebase.org:taxname:8591