Chara subspinosa Ruprecht 1846

Current name: Chara subspinosa Ruprecht
Double opposed spine cells. Lunan Lakes Scotland. - 01 August 2008. C.F.Carter (chris.carter@6cvw.freeuk.com)

Publication Details
Chara subspinosa Ruprecht 1846: 225, no fig.

Published in: Ruprecht, F.J. (1846). Symbolae ad historiam et geographiam plantarum Rossicarum. pp. [1]-242, 6 pls. Petropoli [St Petersburg]: typis et impensis academinae imperialis scientiarum.

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Publication date: Nov. 1846

Type Species
The type species (lectotype) of the genus Chara is Chara vulgaris Linnaeus.

Status of Name
This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.

Type Information
Syntype localities: "in lacubus horti Imp. Gatschinae et Tsarskoe Selo copiosissima etiam in sicco ramulos offert spinosos et juniores tantum collapsos. Ab Chara vulgari omni aetate distinctissima et dubito, transitus in illam dari." [Russia]; (Ruprecht 1846: 225) Lectotype (designated by Gregor 216: 345): R[uprecht]; 3 Aug. 1846; LE; A0000421 (Arbeitsgruppe Armleuchteralgen Deutschland 2015: 345) Notes: Lectotypus (hic designatus per T. Gregor, H. Schub., Blindow & K. Weyer): Ex herbario florae ingricae; in lacu horti Imp. Gatschinae / 3. Aug. 1846 / R[uprecht] (LE).

General Environment
This is a freshwater species.

Created: 22 March 2018 by M.D. Guiry.

Last updated: 14 January 2025

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

Distributional note
"Chara subspinosa occurs in central, eastern and northern Europe including the Balkans (Blazencic et al., 2006; Corillion, 1957; Wood, 1965), but is lacking in Finland (Langangen et al., 2002). While the species in Sweden occurs as far north as Jämtland (Blindow and Langangen, 1995), in Norway it is restricted to the southern part of the country (Langangen, 2007). The taxon is lacking from the brackish water of the Baltic Sea (Schubert and Blindow, 2004). In contrast to C. hispida, it is restricted to the area of last glaciation (Fig. 47.5). In Asia, Chara subspinosa has a scattered distribution with records from low-mountain landscapes of Southern Ural, Altai and Sayan Mountains, Baikal Siberia, Georgia and Mongolia (Hollerbach and Krassavina, 1983; Romanov et al., 2022a)." (Blindow & al. 2024). - (14 January 2025) - M.D. Guiry

Conservational note
"Chara subspinosa is assessed as Critically Endangered in the national Red List of Denmark, as Endangered in Germany, Poland and SE Europe, as Vulnerable in Norway, Sweden and Montenegro and as Near Threatened in Britain. Because of its frequent occurrence, the species is not included in the Red Lists of Ireland, Estonia and Lithuania. Due to determination problems, the species has not been assessed in several countries. In the European Red List, it is assessed as LC (Least Concern) (see Chap. 9). As C. subspinosa has often been mistaken for C. hispida, it is not possible to give reliable information on changes in population sizes. In Germany, declines were mentioned for both Schleswig-Holstein and Brandenburg (Hamann, 1999; Kabus and Mauersberger, 2011), while in Bavaria, establishment in several artificial water bodies has been observed (H. Korsch pers. comm.). Eutrophication seems to be a major reason for decline causing increased turbidity and encouraging competition from vascular plants and filamentous algae. In Ireland and Scotland an additional problem is the leaching of humic material from cut-over boglands. This colours the water, reducing light penetration and causing the reduction and eventual break-up of the deeper water Chara beds (Roden et al., 2020). Dense populations of carp species and grass carp are also a problem in some countries (Hutorowicz and Dziedzic, 2008; K%u0142osowski et al., 2006). In Sweden, C. subspinosa has disappeared from several eutrophicated lakes such as Lakes Ringsjön and Häljasjön in Scania and Lake Ändsjön in Jämtland (Blindow, 2009; Blindow et al., 2021; Forsberg and Forsberg, 1961), while some new sites have been colonised (Blindow, 2009) ." (Blindow & al. 2024). - (14 January 2025) - M.D. Guiry

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Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 14 January 2025. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 06 April 2025