Botryocladia occidentalis (Børgesen) Kylin

Resendiz, María Luisa Núñez, Dreckmann, Kurt M., Sentíes, Abel, Wynne, Michael J. & Tejera, Hilda León, 2019, Marine red algae (Rhodophyta) of economic use in the algal drifts from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Phytotaxa 387 (3), pp. 219-240 : 234

Botryocladia occidentalis (Børgesen) Kylin

Thallus smooth, delicate, mucilaginous, intense red or pink, 14–22 cm in length, complanate in cross section, 600–800 x 1100 –1400 μm in diameter. Main axis branching dichotomous or lateral; main branches covered by small vesicular or globular branches, arranged alternately opposite, 2.5–5 mm in diameter and 4–7 mm in length ( Fig. 62 ). Axes and main branches with a pseudoparenchymatous organization: medulla formed by multiple layers of rounded cells, non-pigmented, 30–50 μm x 40–95 μm in diameter ( Fig. 63 ); Cortex with 2-3 layers of spherical cells, pigmented, 5.5–8 μm in diameter ( Fig. 63 ). Short branches organized in a mucilaginous central cavity delimited by three layers of cortical cells: inner cortex with two layers of rounded cells, 14–40 μm x 20–90 μm in diameter, the innermost layer being the one with the largest diameter cells and the one that give rise to isolated glandular cells; outer cortex with a layer of spherical cells, pigmented, 4.5–9 μm in diameter ( Fig. 64 ).

Figures

FIGURES 51–64. 51–53. Gracilaria usneoides. 51. Habit. Scale bar = 3 cm. 52. Medullary and cortical cells. Scale bar = 260 μm. 53. Mature cystocarp. Scale bar = 420 μm. 54–55. Gracilariopsis tenuifrons. 54. Habit. Scale bar = 4 cm. 55. Medullary and cortical cells. Scale bar = 170 μm. 56–58. Codiophyllum sp. 56. Habit. Scale bar = 4 cm. 57. Apices with small ligules. Scale bar = 5 cm. 58. Medullary filaments and cortical cells. Scale bar = 120 μm. 59–61. Halymenia pseudofloresii. 59. Habit. Scale bar = 4 cm. 60. Medullary filaments and cortical cells. Scale bar = 460 μm. 61. Tetrasporangium in cortex. Scale bar = 40 μm. 62–64. Botryocladia occidentalis. 62. Habit. Scale bar = 4 cm. 63. Medullary and cortical cells in cylindrical axes. Scale bar = 300 μm. 64. Medullary and cortical cells in globular branches. Scale bar = 150 μm.