Gracilaria confervoides (Linnaeus) Greville, nom. illeg. 1830
Publication Details
Gracilaria confervoides (Linnaeus) Greville, nom. illeg. 1830: liv, 123
Published in: Greville, R.K. (1830). Algae britannicae, or descriptions of the marine and other inarticulated plants of the British islands, belonging to the order Algae; with plates illustrative of the genera. pp. [i]-lxxxviii, [1]-218, pl. 1-19. Edinburgh & London: McLachlan & Stewart; Baldwin & Cradock.
Request PDFPublication date: Feb.-March 1830
Type Species
The type species (lectotype) of the genus Gracilaria is Gracilaria compressa (C.Agardh) Greville.
Status of Name
This name is currently regarded as a synonym of Gracilariopsis longissima (S.G.Gmelin) Steentoft, L.M.Irvine & Farnham.
Source of Synonymy
Steentoft, M., Irvine, L.M. & Bird, C.J. (1991). Proposal to conserve the type of Gracilaria, nom. cons., as G. compressa and its lectotypification (Rhodophyta: Gracilariaceae). Taxon 40: 663-666.
Basionym
Fucus confervoides Linnaeus
Origin of Species Name
Compound (Latin), resembling the genus Conferva.
General Environment
This is a marine species.
Created: 28 September 1998 by M.D. Guiry.
Last updated: 23 April 2025
Verification of Data
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Nomenclatural note
Illegtiiamte. Silva, Basson & Moe (1996: 917-8) conclude "Determination of the correct names for the two stringy gracilarioids from the northeastem Atlantic has been an arduous task. For more than a century the two species were confused under the name Gracilaria confervoides (Linnaeus) Greville (1830: liv, 123), based on Fucus confervoides Linnaeus (1763: 1629; type locality: England). The intended basionym, however, is not priorable for two reasons: first, it is a later homonym of F. confervoides Hudson (1762: 474; type locality: York, England) (Rhodomela confervoides (Hudson) P. Silva, 1952a: 269); and second, it is superfluous since Linnaeus cited Fucus teres rubens ramosissimus of Ray (1724: 51, no. 52), which is the type of Fucus purpureus Hudson (1762: 471) (Cystoclonium purpureum (Hudson) Batters, 1902: 68). Combinations that attempted to use Fucus confervoides Linnaeus as a basionym, including Ceramium confervoides Wiggers (1780: 91) and Sphaerococcus confervoides Stackhouse (1797 [1795-1801]: xxiv), are similarly superfluous. Gracilaria confervoides Greville (1830: liv, 123) is superfluous even though Greville excluded the Cystoclonium element from the protologue since he cited as a synonym Fucus verrucosus Hudson (1762: 470-471; type locality: England). The latter name had been placed in the synonymy of F. confervoides Linnaeus since the time of Withering (1796: 114-115). Without regard to its being a later homonym or a superfluous name, Fucus confervoides Linnaeus was abandoned by Papenfuss ( 1950b: 195), who adopted F. verrucosus as the epithet-bringing name for this species. Accordingly, he made the combination Graci/aria verrucosa (Hudson) Papenfuss, a name that was widely applied by subsequent authors to stringy gracilarioids in various parts of the world." - (11 May 2006) - G.M. Guiry
Taxonomic note
All terete Gracilaria specimens from the NE Atlantic and elsewhere require individual examination to determine whether they belong to Gracilaria or Gracilariopsis, and then a decision as to which species is in question. - (18 September 2010) - M.D. Guiry
Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=12343
Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 23 April 2025. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 30 April 2025
