Aulosira cf. epiphytica (Gardner) Hindáková & Hindák (2017: 495)

Mcgregor, Glenn B., 2018, Freshwater Cyanobacteria of North-Eastern Australia: 3. Nostocales, Phytotaxa 359 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Aulosira cf. epiphytica (Gardner) Hindáková & Hindák (2017: 495) Fig. 42 A–F .

Basionym: Nodularia epiphytica Gardner 1927

Filaments solitary, or in ± irregular parallel arrangements, straight or slightly flexuous, attached to the substrate along the entire length, 5.9–6.8 μm wide. Sheath fine, firm, colourless, not lamellated, open at the ends. Trichome cylindrical, distinctly constricted at the cross walls, not attenuated towards the ends. Vegetative cells barrel-shaped, pale blue-green to olive-green in colour, 4.1–6.6 μm long × 4.7–5.5 μm wide; apical cell round to shortly conical. Heterocytes intercalary, oval to shortly cylindrical, 4.8–7.7 μm wide × 4.6–6.3 μm long. Akinetes long cylindrical, solitary or two in series, remote from heterocytes, 4.6–6.8 μm wide × 8.8–15.5 μm long.

Specimens examined:—Atkinson Dam.

Observations:—Growing attached to the substrate and amongst submerged aquatic plants in the littoral area of a subtropical reservoir. Gardner (1927) originally described A. epiphytica (as Nodularia epiphytica ) from tropical habitats in Puerto Rico, where it was observed growing attached to aquatic plants. Hindáková & Hindák (2017) studied epiphytic material attached to filamentous algae from the littoral area of irrigation channels in Southern Slovakia, and transferred this species to Aulosira . This material from SE Queensland was only observed from the benthos of an artificial lake, not epiphytically as in previous observations from elsewhere.

Figures

FIGURE 42. A–F Aulosira cf. epiphytica (ak = akinetes, arrows indicate position of sheath). Scale bars = 20 μm