Xiphophora Montagne, 1842

Holotype species: Xiphophora billardierei Montagne

Currently accepted name for the type species: Xiphophora gladiata (Labillardière) Montagne ex Kjellman

Original publication and holotype designation: Montagne, [J.F.] C. (1842). Prodromus generum specierumque phycearum novarum, in itinere ad polum antarcticum...ab illustri Dumont d'Urville peracto collectarum, notis diagnosticis tantum huc evulgatarum, descriptionibus verò fusioribus nec non iconibus analyticis iam iamque illustrandarum. pp. [1-]16. Parisiis [Paris]: apud Gide, editorem.

Request PDF

Description: Thallus to 43 (124) cm long with linear fronds dichotomously branched more or less in one plane. Discoid holdfast. Growth from an apical meristem consisting of one 4-sided apical cell and surrounding meristematic tissue. Thallus is parenchymatous and differentiated into a meristoderm of small cells with numerous chloroplasts and physodes, a cortex of larger, vacuolate cells and a filamentous medulla. Discoid chloroplasts lack pyrenoids. Life history is diplontic. Sexual reproduction is oogamous. Individuals are dioecious or monoecious. Receptacles arise from frond apices and bear unisexual conceptacles containing antheridia or oogonia. Spermatozoids are heterokont, possess an eyespot and are negatively phototactic. The anterior flagellum bears a spine. Oogonia divide into 4 cells each producing one egg, 100-120 fm diameter, and a supernumary nucleus. Eggs secrete the sperm attractant, hormosirene. Xiphophora is endemic in temperate regions of Australia and New Zealand. The presence of a flagellar spine thought to be homologous with those in Hormosira and Himanthalia and the structure of the oogonium suggest that Xiphophora is probably not closely related to the other species in the Fucaceae all of which occr only in the northern hemisphere. The classifcation of these genera therefore remains in doubt.

Information contributed by: M. N. Clayton. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2014-06-21 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.

Verification of Data
Users are responsible for verifying the accuracy of information before use, as noted on the website Content page.

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=42569

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 21 June 2014. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 22 November 2024