Gloiosaccion Harvey, 1859

Holotype species: Gloiosaccion brownii Harvey

Currently accepted name for the type species: Chrysymenia brownii (Harvey) De Toni

Original publication and holotype designation: Harvey, W.H. (1859). Phycologia australica: or, a history of Australian seaweeds; comprising coloured figures and descriptions of the more characteristic marine algae of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia, and a synopsis of all Known australian algae. Vol. 2. pp. [i]-viii, Plates LXI-CXX (with text). London: Lovell Reeve & Co..

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Description: Thallus with a discoid holdfast and erect, generally unbranched, fronds bearing inflated, sympodially formed, saccate, mucilage-filled vesicles. Construction multiaxial, cortex of 6-7 layers of small cells, forming a continuous layer over the medullary cells. Medulla consisting of cavities filled with a weak mucilage, lined with oblong, rounded cells forming secretory cells in groups of up to 30 on their inner sides or on a bearing cell. Filamentous cells arising from the inner medullary cells may develop a thick inner layer. Dioecious. Spermatangia cut off from outer corectical cells. Procarpic, carpogonial branches in cortex, often in clusters, 4-celled, formed on a large supporting cell with a 2-celled auxiliary cell branch. Gonimoblast developing outwards from a fusion cell. Cystocarps ostiolate, scattered, never coronate, protruding outwards and inwards into the medullary cavity, most cells forming carposporangia in 2-3 lobes of different ages on a distinct, branched column, tela arachnoidea absent. Tetrasporangia scattered in the slightly thickened cortex, formed in an intercalary position from mid-cortical filaments. Spores regularly cruciately arranged. Nothing is known of the life history of Gloiosaccion species, although it is likely that they have a 'Polysiphonia-type' life history.

The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2016-02-02 by M.D. Guiry.

Taxonomic status: This name is currently regarded as a synonym of Chrysymenia.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Schmidt, W.E., Gurgel, C.F.D. & Fredericq, S. (2016). Taxonomic transfer of the red algal genus Gloiosaccion to Chrysymenia (Rhodymeniaceae, Rhodymeniales), including the description of a new species, Chrysymenia pseudoventricosa, for the Gulf of Mexico. Phytotaxa 243(1): 54-70.

Comments: G. Feldmann and Bodard (1965: 9-10), after a study of the saccate species Botryocladia senegalensis G. Feldmann et Bodard from Senegal, concluded that there were no characters that allowed the separation of the genera Gloiosaccion and Botryocladia and informally proposed the name Botryocladia for nomenclatural conservation over Gloiosaccion, an earlier generic name. Silva (1980: 124) formalized the proposal. The two genera should, however, be maintained as separate on the basis of the following features (Huisman, unpubl. obs. 1993; Womersley 1996). A layer of medullary filaments originating from medullary cells is formed in the older parts of Gloiosaccion, whereas such a layer is not formed in Botryocladia. The cortical cells of Gloiosaccion are formed in anticlinally oriented files, whereas in Botryocladia and Chrysymenia they are not in such files. The cystocarps of Chrysymenia and Botryocladia are strongly protuberant whereas those of Gloiosaccion are mostly immersed with only the pericarp protruding above the surface. Tetrasporangia are formed in an intercalary position at the base of filaments. Halosaccion levringii V.J. Chapman et Dromgoole (1970) is a species of Gloiosaccion, almost certainly referable to G. brownii. G. brownii is known only from Western Australia, southern Australia, New Zealand and the Kermadec Islands (Huisman and Walker 1990; Nelson and Adams, 1984). G. pumilum J. Agardh is a morphological variant of G. brownii (Womersley 1996).

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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.

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Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 02 February 2016. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 02 December 2024