Membranoptera alata (Hudson) Stackhouse
Classification:
Empire Eukaryota
Kingdom Plantae
Subkingdom Biliphyta
Phylum Rhodophycophyta
Subphylum Eurhodophytina
Class Florideophyceae
Subclass Rhodymeniophycidae
Order Ceramiales
Family Delesseriaceae
Subfamily Delesserioideae
Tribe Delesserieae
Genus Membranoptera
Pictures:
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Spiddal, Co. Galway, Ireland; growing epiphytically on Corallina officinalis in pool. 26 Mar 2005. Michael Guiry. © Michael Guiry.
Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo, Ireland; plants from 5-10 m subtidally; to 90 mm long. 26 May 1994. Michael Guiry. © Michael Guiry.
Murles Point, Co. Donegal, Ireland; to 100 mm long. 25 May 1994. Michael Guiry. © Michael Guiry.
Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. Colin Bates. © Coastal Imageworks.
Membranoptera alata (Hudson) Stackhouse Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada
Publication details
Membranoptera alata (Hudson) Stackhouse 1809: 85
Original publication: Stackhouse, J. (1809). Tentamen marino-cryptogamicum, ordinem novum; in genera et species distributum, in Classe XXIVta Linnaei sistens. Mémoires de la Sociétè Imperiale des Naturalistes de Moscou 2: [50]-97, pl. 5, 6 [uncoloured copperplate].
Type species
This is the type species (lectotype) of the genus Membranoptera.
Status of name
This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.
Basionym
Fucus alatus Hudson
Origin of species name
Adjective A (Latin), winged (Stearn 1973).
Homotypic Synonym(s)
Fucus alatus Hudson 1762
Delesseria alata (Hudson) J.V.Lamouroux 1813
Hypophylla alata (Hudson) Stackhouse 1816
Sphaerococcus alatus (Hudson) Wahlenberg 1826
Hypoglossum alatum (Hudson) Kützing 1843
General environment
This is a marine species.
Description
Membranous, deep crimson to brownish red fronds, to 200 mm long. With short stipe, well-marked midrib and narrow, wing-like monostromatic margins, pinnately veined, to 12 mm wide (margins sometimes lacking). Branching irregularly dichotomous, frequently proliferating from midribs, apices blunt.
Habitat
On rocks or on Laminaria hyperborea stipes, lower intertidal and subtidal, generally distributed, common.
Similar species
Pantoneura angustissima (Turner) Kylin is reported epiphytic on Laminaria hyperborea stipes from the subtidal of N.E. Scotland in winter. This entity is much confused with narrow forms of Membranoptera alata, which become increasingly common northwards.
Detailed distribution with sources
(as Fucus alatus Hudson)
Ireland: Wexford (Tighe 1803).
Europe: Ireland (Tighe 1803).
(as Membranoptera alata (Hudson) Stackhouse)
Arctic: Canada (Arctic) (Lee 1980).
Ireland: Antrim (Guiry 1978, Maggs & Hommersand 1993, Morton 1994), Clare (Guiry 1978, De Valéra et al. 1979, Maggs 1983), Cork (Cullinane 1971, Cullinane, McCarthy & Fletcher 1975, Guiry 1978, Cullinane & Whelan 1983), Derry (Morton 1994), Donegal (Guiry 1978, Maggs & Hommersand 1993, Morton 2003), Down (Guiry 1978, Morton 1994), Galway (Guiry 1978, Maggs 1983), Kerry (Guiry 1978, Cullinane & Whelan 1983, Whelan & Cullinane 1985), Louth (Synnott 1969, Guiry 1978), Mayo (Guiry 1978), Waterford (Guiry 1978), Wexford (Parkes & Scannell 1969, Norton 1970, Guiry 1978).
Europe: Baltic Sea (Nielsen et al. 1995), Britain (Newton 1931, Maggs & Hommersand 1993, Hardy & Guiry 2003), Denmark (Larsen & Sand-Jensen 2006), Faroes (Irvine 1982, Nielsen & Gunnarsson 2001), France (Feldmann 1954, Coppejans 1995, Dizerbo & Herpe 2007, Loiseaux-de Goër & Noailles 2008), Helgoland (Bartsch & Kuhlenkamp 2000), Iceland (Caram & Jónsson 1972), Ireland (Cullinane 1971, Guiry 1978, De Valéra et al. 1979, Maggs 1983, Whelan & Cullinane 1985, Maggs & Hommersand 1993, Morton 1994), Netherlands (Stegenga & Mol 1983), Norway (Rueness 1997), Scandinavia (Athanasiadis 1996), Spitsbergen (Vinogradova 1995), Sweden (Kylin 1944).
North America: Maine (Mathieson et al. 2001), New Brunswick (Bates et al. 2005), New Hampshire (Mathieson & Hehre 1986, Mathieson & Dawes 2002).
Africa: Morocco (Conde Poyales 1992).
(as Delesseria alata (Hudson) J.V.Lamouroux)
Ireland: Antrim (Drummond 1837, Dickie 1871, Adams 1907), Dublin (Sanders 1860), Mayo (Cotton 1912), Wexford (Cotton 1913), Wicklow (Morton 1980).
Europe: Ireland (Adams 1907, Cotton 1912, Cotton 1913), Sweden (Kylin 1907).
Key references
Bates, C.R., Saunders, G.W. & Chopin, T. (2005). An assessment of two taxonomic distinctness indices for detecting seaweed assemblage responses to environmental stress. Botanica Marina 48: 231-243.
Larsen, A. & Sand-Jensen, K. (2005). Salt tolerance and distribution of estuarine benthic macroalgae in the Kattegat-Baltic Sea area. Phycologia 45: 13-23.
Loiseaux-de Goër, S. & Noailles, M.-C. (2008). Algues de Roscoff. pp. [1]-215, col. figs. Roscoff: Editions de la Station Biologique de Roscoff.
Maggs, C.A. & Hommersand, M.H. (1993). Seaweeds of the British Isles. Volume 1. Rhodophyta. Part 3A. Ceramiales. pp. xv + 444, 129 figs, map. London: HMSO.
SAG Cultures
109.79 Membranoptera alata
NCBI Nucleotide Sequences
No sequences have been found on the NCBI site.
Created: 31 March 1996 by M.D. Guiry
Verified by: 20 November 2008 by M.D. Guiry
Accesses: This record has been accessed by users 2147 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.)
Edelstein, T. & McLachlan, J. (1967). Cystocarps and tetrasporangia on the same thallus in Membranoptera alata and Polysiphonia urceolata. British Phycological Bulletin 3: 185-187.
Molenaar, F.J. & Breeman, A.M. (1997). Latitudinal trends in the growth and reproductive seasonality of Delesseria sanguinea, Membranoptera alata and Phycodrys rubens (Rhodophyta). Journal of Phycology 33: 330-343, 9 figs, 3 tables.
Rietema, H. (1993). Ecotypic differences between Baltic and North Sea populations of Delesseria sanguinea and Membranoptera alata. Botanica Marina 36: 15-21, 7 figs.
