Heterocladia Decaisne, 1841

Holotype species: Heterocladia australis Decaisne

Original publication and holotype designation: Decaisne, J. (1841). Plantes de l'Arabie Heureuse, recueillies par M. P.-E. Botta et décrites par M. J. Decaisne. Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 2(2): 89-199, pls V-VII.

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Description: Upright polysiphonous thalli, ~3 cm tall, in which 4 pericentral cells divide forming a blade with an indistinct midrib. Pericentrals divide more or less irregularly but form a parenchymatous bilaterally oriented blade with entire margins; blades taper proximally to a short narrow stalk; apices are blunt with a slightly projected axis, basically radially oriented but usually complanate. Radially oriented branchlets, 5-10 mm long, that remain cylindrical but may branch a few times, develop from the midrib region on either side of the blade, branchlets that have numerous persistent pigmented trichoblasts. Reproductive structures on the secondarily produced, radially oriented branchlets. Gametophytes unknown. Tetrasporangia 1 per segment in a spiral series in the branchlet; trichoblasts persistent on and between fertile segments.

Information contributed by: R.E. Norris. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2017-02-12 by M.D. Guiry.

Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.

Gender: This genus name is currently treated as feminine.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Schneider, C.W. & Wynne, M.J. (2007). A synoptic review of the classification of red algal genera a half a century after Kylin's "Die Gattungen der Rhodophyceen". Botanica Marina 50: 197-249.

Comments: Very rare, Western Australia. Womersley (2003) described gametophytes after R.E. Norris contributed the description above.

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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Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in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=40846

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 12 February 2017. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 27 December 2024