Cordylecladia erecta (Greville) J.Agardh
Classification:
Empire Eukaryota
Kingdom Plantae
Subkingdom Biliphyta
Phylum Rhodophyta
Subphylum Eurhodophytina
Class Florideophyceae
Subclass Rhodymeniophycidae
Order Rhodymeniales
Family Rhodymeniaceae
Genus Cordylecladia
Pictures:
click on thumbnail for larger version.
Black Head, Co. Clare, Ireland; old plants growing through shell debris. 03 Aug 2004. Michael Guiry. © Michael Guiry.
middle intertidal, Spain, Galicia, Lugo, San Ciprián, 2007. Ignacio Bárbara. © Ignacio Bárbara.
Ría de Muros, Galicia, Spain, 2008; TS thallus. Ignacio Bárbara. © Ignacio Bárbara.
Ría de Muros, Galicia, Spain, 2008; TS thallus. Ignacio Bárbara. © Ignacio Bárbara.
Plate from Greville (1828). 14 Jun 2010. M.D. Guiry. © Out of copyright.
Cordylecladia erecta (Greville) J.Agardh Ría de Muros, Galicia, Spain, 2008; TS thallus
Publication details
Cordylecladia erecta (Greville) J.Agardh 1852: 704
Original publication: Agardh, J.G. (1852). Species genera et ordines algarum, seu descriptiones succinctae specierum, generum et ordinum, quibus algarum regnum constituitur. Volumen secundum: algas florideas complectens. Part 3, fasc. 1. pp. 701-786. Lundae [Lund]: C.W.K. Gleerup.
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Type species
This is the type species (lectotype) of the genus Cordylecladia.
Status of name
This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.
Basionym
Sphaerococcus erectus Greville
Type information
Syntype localities: "In the sea; February. Discovered in England by Mrs Griffiths at Tor-Abbey rocks, Meadfoot, Waldon rocks, &c. in Torbay; and at Sidmouth." (Greville 1828: pl. 357). Lectotype: Mrs Griffiths; February. E (Jones 1962: 143). Notes: Paratypes: BM-K, LD. Lectotype from Sidmouth (Jones 1962: 143).
Origin of species name
Adjective (Latin), erect (Stearn 1973).
Homotypic Synonym(s)
Sphaerococcus erectus Greville 1828
Gracilaria erecta (Greville) Greville 1830
General environment
This is a Marine species.
Description
Narrow cylindrical, cartilaginous, brownish-red fronds, to 100 mm high, in tufts from thin, spreading, discoid base often hidden below sand. Sparingly subdichotomously branched, branches usually tapering to fine point. Dioecious. Tetrasporangia and spermatangia in terminal, deciduous, spindle-shaped pods, cystocarps clustered in swollen areas near apices. Reproduction takes place in the depths of winter.
Habitat
On sand-covered rocks, low intertidal and subtidal, widely distributed, frequently overlooked.
Similar species
Frequently confused with Gracilaria longissima and Gracilaria gracilis both of which do not have an expanded crustose base. Cordylecladia erecta is smaller, generally stands erect and has a brownish-red rather than a purplish-red colour. Plants of Gracilaria longissima may have irregularly sollen areas when growing in sand or shell-sand. Reproductive plants of C. erecta are only found in winter when the reproductive structures occur in swollen, often spindle-shaped areas near the tips of the fronds.
Detailed distribution with sources
(as Sphaerococcus erectus Greville)
Europe: Britain (Greville 1830).
(as Cordylecladia erecta (Greville) J.Agardh)
Ireland: Antrim (Adams 1907, Cullinane 1978, Guiry 1978, Morton 1994), Clare (Cullinane 1978, De Valéra et al. 1979, Maggs 1983, Wilkes et al 2006), Cork (Cullinane 1978, Guiry 1978), Derry (Morton 1994), Down (Guiry 1978, Morton 1994), Galway (Cullinane 1978, Guiry 1978, Maggs 1983), Kerry (Cullinane 1978, Guiry 1978), Mayo (Cotton 1912, Cullinane 1978, Guiry 1978), Sligo (Cullinane 1970, Cullinane 1978, Guiry 1978), Waterford (Guiry 1977, Cullinane 1978, Guiry 1978).
Europe: Britain (Newton 1931, Irvine 1983, Hardy & Guiry 2003), France (Feldmann 1954, Coppejans 1995, Dizerbo & Herpe 2007), Ireland (Adams 1907, Cotton 1912, Guiry 1977, Cullinane 1978, Guiry 1978, De Valéra et al. 1979, Irvine 1983, Maggs 1983, Morton 1994), Portugal (Araujo et al. 2009), Spain (Ballesteros 1984, Ballesteros 1989, Conde, Altamirano & Flores-Moya 1996, Conde et al. 1996, Conde, Altamirano & Flores-Moya 1996, Valenzuela Miranda 2002, Bárbara et al. 2005).
Atlantic Islands: Azores (Neto 1994 
).
Taxonomic notes
Guiry (1997) suggests consulting Brodie & Guiry (1988).
Key references
Feldmann, G. (1967). Le genere Cordylecladia J. Ag. (Rhodophycées, Rhodyméniales) et sa position systematique. Revue Générale de Botanique 74: 357-375.
Irvine, L.M. & Guiry, M.D. (1983). Rhodymeniales. In: Seaweeds of the British Isles. Volume 1. Rhodophyta. Part 2A. Cryptonemiales (sensu stricto), Palmariales, Rhodymeniales. (Irvine, L.M. Eds), pp. 77-98. London: British Museum (Natural History).
Millar, A.J.K., Saunders, G.W., Strachan, I.M. & Kraft, G.T. (1996). The morphology, reproduction and small-subunit rRNA gene sequence of Cephalocystis (Rhodymeniaceae, Rhodophyta), a new genus based on Cordylecladia furcellata J. Agardh from Australia. Phycologia 35: 48-60, 30 figs, 1 table.
Withall, R.D. & Saunders, G.W. (2007 '2006'). Combining small and large subunit ribosomal DNA genes to resolve relationships among orders of the Rhodymeniophycidae (Rhodophyta): recognition of the Acrosymphytales ord. nov. and Sebdeniales ord. nov. European Journal of Phycology 41: 379-394.
NCBI Nucleotide Sequences
Created: 30 March 1996 by M.D. Guiry
Verified by: 14 June 2010 by M.D. Guiry
Accesses: This record has been accessed by users 1158 times since it was created.
References
(Please note: only references with the binomials in the title are included. The information is from the Literature database.)
Brodie, J. & Guiry, M.D. (1987). Life history and photoperiodic responses in Cordylecladia erecta (Rhodophyta) from Ireland. British Phycological Journal 22: 300-301.
Brodie, J. & Guiry, M.D. (1988). Life history and reproduction of Cordylecladia erecta (Rhodymeniaceae, Rhodophyta). British Phycological Journal 23: 347-364.
Cullinane, J.P. (1978). A preliminary account of the distribution of Cordylecladia erecta (Grev.) J. G. Ag. (Rhodophyta: Rhodymeniales) in Ireland and the British Isles. Sci. Proc. Roy. Dubl. Soc., Ser. A 6: 49-58.
