Heteroralfsia Kawai, 1989

Holotype species: Heteroralfsia saxicola (Okamura & Yamada) H.Kawai

Original publication and holotype designation: Kawai, H. (1989). Life history and systematic position of Heteroralfsia saxicola gen et comb. nov. (Ralfsiaceae, Phaeophyceae). Phycologia 28: 243-251.

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Description: Erect thallus summer annual, crustose portion probably perennial. Epilithic on upper intertidal rocks, gregarious on crustose basal portion, simple, cylindrical attenuated towards the base, hollow, slightly slimy, elastic, yellowish to reddish brown. Crustose portion composed of basal cell layer and closely packed, parallel, erect filaments which issue on basal cell layer. Erect portions of thalli are multiaxial, pseudo-parenchymatous. Medullary filaments densely packed and simple near the base, rather loose and connected with each other here and there in the middle and upper parts, resulting in the formation of a reticular medullary layer. Surface of young erect thallus covered with cuticle, shed following the development of the multicellular paraphyses. Hairs lacking its own basal meristematic region present. Obovoid, sessile unilocular sporangia formed on basal cell of assimilatory. Cells contain rich physodes, a cup shaped chloroplast without pyrenoid, which often become fragmented later. In culture zoospore show a discal type of germination forming emptied embryospore and develop into Ralfsia-like crustose thalli forming intercalary plurilocular sporangia with a terminal sterile cell in each file. Erect filamentous thalli develop on the crustose thalli, forming radiate multicellular assimilatory filaments and unilocular sporangia.

Information contributed by: H. Kawai. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2014-06-21 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 feminine.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Silberfeld, T., Rousseau, F. & Reviers, B. de (2014). An updated classification of brown algae (Ochrophyta, Phaeophyceae). Cryptogamie Algologie 35(2): 117-156, 1 fig., 1 table.

Comments: Endemic to temperate water of Eastern Asia (Quindao, Japan Sea coast of Japan).

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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Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in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.

Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=41124

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 21 June 2014. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 20 April 2024