Asteronema breviarticulatum (J. Agardh) Ouriques and Bouzon, 2000: 271

Coppejans, Eric, Leliaert, Frederik, Verbruggen, Heroen, de Clerck, Olivier, Schils, Tom, de Vriese, Thomas & Marie, Daniel, 2004, The marine green and brown algae of Rodrigues (Mauritius, Indian Ocean), Journal of Natural History 38 (23), pp. 2959-3020 : 3009

Asteronema breviarticulatum (J. Agardh) Ouriques and Bouzon, 2000: 271

( figure 30 ) References: Tseng, 1984: 168, pl. 85, figure 1 (~ Ectocarpus breviarticulatus J.

Agardh); De Clerck et al., 2002: 418, figures 13–15 ; Littler and Littler, 2003: 164,

top figure p. 165.

Type locality. San Agustin , Oaxaca, Mexico .

Voucher. HEC 14884 (zF), 3 October 2001, eastern part of Cotton Bay (s.s. 15).

Ecology. Forming extensive populations in a well-illuminated limestone rock pool at high tide level, under the Bostrychia zone.

Distribution. Bangladesh, Burma, Christmas Island, India, Laccadives, Maldives, Mauritius ( Børgesen, 1941: 39–41, figure 17 ; 1948: 45), Réunion ( Jadin, 1935: 158 ~ Ectocarpus spongiosus Dickie), Rodrigues (this paper), Seychelles, Sri Lanka.

Note. Recent molecular studies by Draisma et al. (2001) and Rousseau et al. (2001) reveal that Asteronema is polyphyletic and not related to the Ectocarpales Sensu lato. Unfortunately, Asteronema breviarticulatum itself was not included in the analysis. Pending further studies, A. breviarticulatum is listed as Incertae sedis rather than under Ectocarpales .

Figures

FIGS 25–30. Phaeophyta. (25, 26) Cladosiphon mauritianus (HEC 14789b): (25) general morphology; (26) apical branches. (27, 28) Chnoospora implexa (HEC 14674b): (27) compact form; (28) thin, slender form. (29) Hydroclathrus tenuis (HEC 14756d). (30) Asteronema breviarticulatum, rope-like appearance of intertwined filaments (HEC 14884). Scale bars: 2 cm (25); 1 cm (26–30).

FIG. 1. Sampling stations. See table 1 for a list of the stations and their GPS coordinates. Map redrawn from Wells (1988). The outer grey line represents the fringing reef.

FIGS 7–13. Caulerpa brachypus, variation in the general morphology and margin structure of the assimilators. (7) Large growth form collected in grooves between bumps of coral rubble, frequently branching and with secondary stolons (HEC 14867). (8) Intermediately large growth form with wide assimilators (HEC 14769). (9) Intermediately large growth form with relatively narrow assimilators (HEC 14656a). (10) Typical specimen with simple or scarcely branched assimilators (HEC 14612). (11) Assimilator with smooth margin (HEC 14612). (12) Assimilator with coarsely dentate margin (HEC 14656a). (13) Assimilator with densely dentate margin (HEC 14718). Scale bars: 2 cm (7–10); 1 mm (11–13).

FIGS 14–18. Caulerpa. (14) Caulerpa cupressoides var. lycopodium f. elegans, small, elegant specimen (HEC 14691). (15) Caulerpa cupressoides var. lycopodium f. elegans, coarse specimen with richly branched assimilators (HEC 14820). (16) Caulerpa sertularioides f. sertularioides, last order branchlets in a single plane (HEC 14739). (17) Caulerpa sertularioides f. farlowii, last order branchlets in several planes (HEC 14690). (18) Caulerpa webbiana (HEC 14699). Scale bars: 1 cm.