Sargassum vulgare C. Agardh, 1820

Marletta, Giuliana & Lombardo, Andrea, 2023, The Fucales (Ochrophyta, Phaeophyceae) of the Island of Pantelleria (Sicily Channel, Mediterranean Sea): a new contribution, Italian Botanist 15, pp. 137-163 : 137

Sargassum vulgare C. Agardh

Fig. 20A-C

Sargassum vulgare C. Agardh, nom. illeg. Basionym.

Fucus salicifolius S. G. Gmelin, Sargassum megalophyllum Montagne, Sargassum coarctatum Kützing, Sargassum vulgare var. megalophyllum (Montagne) Vickers. Synonyms.

Morphology of specimens from Pantelleria.

S. vulgare is attached to the substrate by a small discoid holdfast. The axis is cylindrical and short. Primary branches are cylindrical and smooth or knotty, bearing sparse secondary branches with distichous-alternate arrangement. Foliaceous branches are abundant, lanceolate, with an evident midrib and serrate or wavy margins. The aerocysts are spherical, with a short cylindrical or flattened pedicel. During the monitoring this species was found fertile. The receptacles are fusiform or warty, simple or bifid, borne at the top of a short sterile, cylindrical and branched pedicel.

Habitat.

S. vulgare was observed both during the snorkelling activities and scuba dives in all examined sites, from the upper infralittoral to the lower infralittoral (from 1 to 25 m) and in both sheltered and wave-exposed habitats.

Distribution.

S. vulgare is widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea ( Blanfuné et al. 2022).

Remarks.

Together with C. compressa and E. amentacea , this species was among the most common fucalean seaweeds along the coasts of the island.

Figures

Figure 20. Sargassum vulgare A, B habit C detail of warty receptacles on a short pedicel.