Neogoniolithon cf. brassica-florida (Harvey) Setchell & Mason (1943: 91)

Villas-Bôas, Alexandre B., Riosmena-Rodriguez, Rafael, Tâmega, Frederico T. S., Amado-Filho, Gilberto M., Maneveldt, Gavin W. & Figueiredo, Marcia A. O., 2015, Rhodolith-forming species of the subfamilies Neogoniolithoideae and Hydrolithoideae (Rhodophyta, Corallinales) from Espírito Santo State, Brazil, Phytotaxa 222 (3), pp. 169-184 : 171-174

Neogoniolithon cf. brassica-florida (Harvey) Setchell & Mason (1943: 91) ( Figs 2–8 )

Basionym: Melobesia brassica-florida Harvey (1849: 110) .

≡ Lithothamnion brassica-florida (Harvey) Areschoug in Agardh (1852: 523), Goniolithon brassica-florida (Harvey) Foslie (1898: 9) , according to Guiry & Guiry (2014).

= Melobesia notarisii Dufour (1861: 39) , Lithophyllum frutescens ( Foslie 1900: 9–12) Lemoine (1911: 144–146) , Spongites notarisii ( Dufour 1861: 39) Athanasiadis (1987: 38) , see more in Guiry & Guiry (2014).

Plants non-geniculate, smooth to warty, bearing cylindrical protuberances 1.0– 1.5 mm long ( Fig. 2 ). The basal region comprises square to rectangular cells 8–10 μm long by 12–14 μm in diameter. The core region is coaxial and comprises square to elongate cells that are 9–30 μm long by 9–15 μm in diameter. Peripheral filaments are comprised of square to rectangular cells that measure 6–7 μm long by 4–5 μm in diameter. Peripheral filaments are terminated by a single layer of rounded to flattened epithelial cells. Sub-epithelial initials are elongate and measure 11–12 μm long by 6–7 μm in diameter ( Fig. 3 ). The internal thallus construction is pseudoparenchymatous and monomerous ( Fig. 4 ). Cells of adjacent filaments are joined by cell fusions ( Fig. 6 ), secondary pit-connections have not been observed. Individual trichocytes occur at the thallus surface ( Fig. 5 ). Gametangial plants appear dioecious. Roofs of mature spermatangial (male) conceptacles are 9–11 cells thick, domed and protrude slightly above the surrounding thallus surface. Simple spermatangial systems are found on the floor, walls and roof of the conceptacle chamber. Male conceptacle chambers are 236–250 μm in diameter by 170–175 μm in height ( Fig. 7 ). Carposporangial conceptacles are apiculate with very elongated pore canals that measure 64 μm in diameter. Carposporangial conceptacle chambers are 375–415 μm in diameter by 460–484 μm in height. Gonimoblast filaments are distributed across the floor of the conceptacle chamber, and terminate in carposporangia that measure 40–45 μm long by 65–75 μm in diameter ( Fig. 8 ). Tetra/bisporangial conceptacles have not been observed.

Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Algoa Bay (lectotype Bowerbank, BM algal box collection no. 78; designated by Penrose and Chamberlain in Woelkerling (1993: 43)) .

Ecological observations:—Plants forming rhodoliths 7–20 cm in diameter. The studied area is mostly composed by large, foliose and non-geniculate multispecific rhodoliths. Neogoniolithon cf. brassica-florida is the second most frequent species that built rhodolith at the depth of 17 to 18 m ( Villas-Bôas et al. 2014).

Geographical distribution:— Neogoniolithon brassica-florida is a cosmopolitan species, present in most world oceans, e. g. Australia and New Zealand (Penrose 1996, Ringeltaube & Harvey 2000, Harvey et al. 2006, Nelson 2012), Japan ( Kato et al. 2011), Brazil (Amado-Filho et al. 2012; Villas-Boas et al. 2014) and (this study), Indonesia ( Verheij 1994), South Africa ( Woelkerling et al. 1993b, Maneveldt et al. 2008), Europe ( Babbini & Bressan 1997, Furnari et al. 2003). See more in Guiry & Guiry (2014).

Distribution in the study sites:— Neogoniolithon cf. brassica-florida was the species with the greatest distribution, being present in six of the nine localities sampled at the studied area.

Examined material:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo State, (20° 54’ 09” S, 40° 38’ 46” W, 4 March 2005, A. B. Villas-Bôas, M. A. de O. Figueiredo, F. T. de S. Tâmega & A. Oliveira, RB 480477 ); (20° 54’ 13” S, 40° 34’ 50” W, 5 May 2005, A. B. Villas-Bôas, M. A. de O. Figueiredo, F. T. de S. Tâmega & A. Oliveira, RB 480478 ); (20° 54’ 12” S, 40° 34’ 49” W, 6 May 2005, A. B. Villas-Bôas, M. A. de O. Figueiredo, F. T. de S. Tâmega & A. Oliveira, RB 480479 ); (20° 54’ 22” S, 40° 35’ 05” W, 6 May 2005, A. B. Villas-Bôas, M. A. de O. Figueiredo, F. T. de S. Tâmega & A. Oliveira, RB 480480 ); (20° 53’ 22” S, 40° 34’ 06” W, 06 May 2005, A. B. Villas-Bôas, M. A. de O. Figueiredo, F. T. de S. Tâmega & A. Oliveira, RB 480481 ) ; (21° 06’ 27” S, 40° 30’ 08” W, 22 November 2006, G. M. Amado-Filho, RB 480482 ) .

Diagnostic features:— Neogoniolithon cf. brassica-florida differs from other species of Neogoniolithon in having the following combination of features: 1) spermatangial conceptacle chamber diameter 236–250 μm, and 2) carposporangial conceptacles with a very elongated pore canal that measure 64 μm in diameter.

Figures

FIGURE 2. The warty growth-form of Neogoniolithon cf. brassica-florida (white arrow). Scale = 1 cm.

FIGURES 3–6. Neogoniolithon cf. brassica-florida. 3. Longitudinal sections showing rounded epithelial cells (black arrow). Scale = 22 μm. 4. Monomerous, coaxial growth (black arrow). Scale = 18 μm. 5. Electron micrograph (SEM stubs: RB 480479) showing solitary trichocytes at the thallus surface (white arrow). Scale = 17 μm. 6. Cell fusions (white arrow). Scale = 6 μm.

FIGURES 7–8. Neogoniolithon cf. brassica-florida. 7. Longitudinal sections showing a spermatangial conceptacle with simple, unbranched spermatangial systems borne on the floor, walls and roof of the conceptacle chamber (black arrows). Scale = 31 μm. 8. A carposporangial conceptacle. Scale = 64 μm.