Pollexfenia Harvey, 1844
Lectotype species: Pollexfenia pedicellata Harvey
Publication details: Harvey, 1844: 431
Original publication and holotype designation: Harvey, W.H. (1844). Algae of Tasmania. London Journal of Botany 3: 428-454.
Request PDFThe most recent alteration to this page was made on 2025-04-19 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: Woelkerling, W.J., Cormaci, M. & Furnari, G. (2025). Scientific names and authors of current tribes in the red algal family Rhodomelaceae (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta): a nomenclatural analysis. Bollettino dell'Accademia Gioenia di Catania 58(389): FP13–FP104, 2 tables.
Nomenclatural notes
Womersley (2003) comments "Harvey (1844b, p. 431), in describing Pollexfenia in his "Algae of Tasmania", described P. pedicellata first, following which he characterised the South African P. laciniata. He also (and in 1846, p. 382) stated that the genus was "founded on a plant from the Cape of Good Hope". In view of this comment, Papenfuss (1942, p. 446) considered P. laciniata should be the type species, quoting Harvey's comment, but omitting Harvey's (1847, p. 22) later comment referring to P. pedicellata, viz. "The first, to which the name Pollexfenia will be preserved, is distinguished by its delicate substance being traversed internally by a system of pellucid, branching striae, and by having stichidia". Kylin (1956, p. 444) considered Pollexfenia should be retained for the Australian genus and Papenfussia for the South African plant (with the older name laciniata replacing his elegans). Neither Papenfuss nor Kylin commented on Harvey's protologue for Pollexfenia, which agrees very largely with pedicellata and not with laciniata. Since the ICBN (Art. 9.13(b), 10.5) states clearly that the type must not be in conflict with the protologue, it is clear that P. pedicellata from southern Australia must be the type species of Pollexfenia, and the South African taxon is correctly known as Papenfussia laciniata. Papenfussia includes 2 South African species (Stegenga et al. 1997, p. 493) and probably also "Pollexfenia" japonica Yoshida & Mikami (1990, p. 200, figs 1–26; Yoshida 1998: 992) from Japan." - (01 March 2023) - M.D. Guiry
"This genus, founded on a plant from the Cape of Good Hope, is inscribed to the Rev. John H. Pollexfen of Bradford an accomplished British Botanist and Algologist, who has explored the marine flora of the Orkneys with much success." [John Hutton Pollexfen (1813-1899)]. - (14 October 2022) - M.D. Guiry
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Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 19 April 2025. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 19 May 2025
