Batrachospermum Roth, 1797
Holotype species: Conferva gelatinosa Linnaeus
Publication details: Roth, 1797: 36
Currently accepted name for the type species: Batrachospermum gelatinosum (Linnaeus) De Candolle
Original publication and holotype designation: Roth, A.W. (1797). Bemerkungen über das Studium der cryptogamischen Wassergewächse. pp. [1]-109, [+1 Druckfehler]. Hannover: bei den Gebrüdern Hahn.
Request PDFDescription: Thalli monoecious or dioecious; olive-drab, sometimes brownish; consistency mucilaginous, branching irregular; whorls well developed; cortical filaments of the main axis with cylindrical cells; primary fascicles with ellipsoidal or fusiform cells; secondary fascicles few and sparse; spermatangia typically at the tips of primary, less often of secondary fascicles, but can be at the tips of involucral filaments of the carpogonial branches, spherical to sub-spherical; carpogonial branches 40.5–65.9 ?m in length, composed of cells similar to the fascicles, straight, developing from the periaxial, proximal cells of primary fascicles, and occasionally from distal cells of primary fascicles; involucral filaments, short or long, composed of cylindrical or ellipsoidal cells; carpogonia with sessile, rarely stalked, clavate, lanceolate, or ellipsoidal trichogynes; carposporophytes pedunculate, spherical, inserted within the whorls or exerted, small; gonimoblast filaments densely arranged, composed of 2–4 barrel-shaped to cylindrical cells; carposporangia spherical to obovoidal.
Information contributed by: Vis & Necchi (2021: 157-158). The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2022-04-21 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 neuter.
Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Sheath, R.G. (2003). Red Algae. In: Freshwater Algae of North America, Ecology & Classification. (Wehr, J.D. & Sheath, R.G. Eds), pp. 197-224. San Diego: Academic Press.
Nomenclatural note
Batrachosperma, as used by Bory, appears to be an orthographic variant of Batrachospermum and seems to be correctable. All instances of the former spelling has been changed to the latter. INA: "Invalid: orthographic variant of Batrachospermum Roth 1797". Derive from the Greek, batrachos, a frog, and sperma, semen, sperm, probably referring to the similarity to frog-spawn. Compère (1991: 21) writes: "The genus Batrachospermum was established by Roth (1797 : 36) for one unnamed species ("nur eine Hauptart") for which he cited the synonyms Conferva nodosa L., Chara batrachosperma Weiss and Chara gelatinosa (L.) Roth ; from the two latter names, it is clear that the first, Conferva nodosa, is a slip of the pen for Conferva gelatinosa L., cited as synonym under both. Consequently Conferva gelatinosa is the type of the genus; it has been cited as such [as Batrachospermum gelatinosum (L.) DC] by Skuja in Farr et al. (1979 : 184) and accepted by subsequent authors. The first specific name in the genus Batrachospermum, B. moniliforme Roth, published three years later (Roth 1800 : 480), is clearly illegitimate and superfluous under the code of nomenclature (Greuter et al. 1988 : art. 63.1), since Roth cited as synonym the earlier, validly published Conferva gelatinosa L. The correct name of this species is B. gelatinosum (L.) DC. as stated by Necchi (1990). The type of Conferva gelatinosa L. and of the genus Batrachospermum Roth could be the specimen from Sweden described by the phrase "Conferva filis ramosis moniliformibus, articulis globosis gelatinosis" (Linnaeus 1753 : 1166), since the same phrase was used by Linnaeus in Flora Suecica (1755 : 435). Unfortunately, the specimen labelled Conferva gelatinosa in the Linnean Herbarium, no. 1277.39 "Hedemorae" (LINN), though originating from Sweden, would have been in cluded after 1753 (according to F.R. Barrie, in litt. 7.5.1990) and therefore can neither be the holotype nor be considered for lectotypification." This lectotypification was effected by Irvine in Spencer & al. (2009: 243). - (05 April 2017) - M.D. Guiry
Taxonomic note
Emended by Entwisle, M.L. Vis, W.B. Chiasson, Necchi & A.R. Sherwood (2009: 709) and a new combination made: Batrachospermum section Macrospora (Kumano) Entwisle, M.L. Vis, W.B. Chiasson, Necchi & A.R. Sherwood. - (17 February 2010) - G.M. Guiry
Verification of Data
Users are responsible for verifying the accuracy of information before use, as noted on the website Content page.
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=42771
Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 21 April 2022. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 16 May 2025
