Stilophora J.Agardh, 1841, nom. cons.
Holotype species: Stilophora rhizodes J.Agardh
Currently accepted name for the type species: Stilophora tenella (Esper) P.C.Silva
Original publication and holotype designation: Agardh, J.G. (1841). In historiam algarum symbolae. Linnaea 15: 1-50, 443-457.
Request PDFPrecise date of publication: 6 Apr 1841
Description: Thallus erect, cylindrical, branched, to 50 cm high, usually epiphytic, attached to substratum with a small discoid holdfast. Medulla a group of a few longitudinal filaments with meristematic apical cell each. Cortex to 4 cells thick, with a surface layer of small cells. Two kinds of assimilatory filaments present. Primary assimilatory filaments curved, formed in whorls near apex obscuring the apical cells. As the thallus grows the whorls become separated. Secondary assimilatory filaments straight, formed in tufts on older parts of thallus around primary assimilatory filaments. This gives the mature thallus a striate appearance. Phaeophycean hairs present. Unilocular sporangia ovoid, sessile, within the tufts of secondary assimilatory filaments. Plurilocular sporangia uniseriate, to 10 locules long, among secondary assimilatory filaments. Life history heteromorphic and diplohaplontic, with macroscopic sporophytes (2n~25) and microscopic dioecious "streblonematoid" gametophytes (n~13) producing isogametes in few-celled uniseriate gametangia. There is a temperature effect involved in gametogenesis: at 20%C, gametophytes produce asexual zoids, at 9%C they form gametes. The zygote develops into a few-celled erect uniseriate filament with terminal hyaline hair and basal cell proliferations. The meristematic apical cells of the macrothallus is formed secondarily from these proliferations. Female gametes of Stilophora rhizodes produce the unsaturated hyrdocarbon, finavarrene, and related compounds. Synthetic finavarrene was shown to attract male gametes. Distributed throughout the temperate North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, in warm-temperate parts of the Indian Ocean, and in southern Australia.
Information contributed by: A. F. Peters. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2014-06-20 by M.D. Guiry.
Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.
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.
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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=32913
Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 20 June 2014. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 22 November 2024
