Ceramium Roth, 1797

de Clerck, Olivier, Coppejans, Eric, Schils, Tom, Verbruggen, Heroen, Leliaert, Frederik, de Vriese, Thomas & Marie, Daniel, 2004, The marine red algae of Rodrigues (Mauritius, Indian Ocean), Journal of Natural History 38 (23), pp. 3021-3057 : 3038

Ceramium Roth

Key to the species from Rodrigues

1 Branching regularly dichotomous........... Ceramium maryae

– Branching distinctly alternate................ 2

2 Cortical bands less wide than the distance between two successive cortical bands; cortical bands with a clear separation between acropetal and basipetal corticating cell groups.................. Ceramium flaccidum

– Distance between two successive cortical bands shorter than the width of the cortical bands; cortical bands without a clear separation between acropetal and basipetal corticating cell groups........... Ceramium subdichotomum

* Ceramium flaccidum (Kützing) Ardissone, 1871: 40

References: Jaasund, 1976: 105, figure 214A–E (as C. taylorii Dawson ); Cribb, 1983: 82–83, pl. 31, figure 2 , pl. 59, figures 1–4 ; Millar, 1990: 395–396, figures 42A–E, 43C–E; Price and Scott, 1992: 89–90, figure 27A–E; Wynne, 1995: 292–294, figure 36; Womersley, 1998: 382–384, 410–411, figures 188E–H, 190A–D; Abbott, 1999: 274, figure 76D–H; Littler and Littler, 2000: 150, figure p. 151; Payri et al., 2000: 248, figures p. 249.

Type locality. Kilkee , County Clare, Ireland .

Vouchers. HEC 14649 (zF) and HEC 14666 (zF), 19 September 2001, Gravier (s.s. 16) ; HEC 14734b (zF), 21 September 2001, Petite Butte (s.s. 24) ; HEC 14812 (zF), 26 September 2001, Chaland (s.s. 8) .

Ecology. Epiphytic (on Centroceras clavulatum , Pterocladiella caerulescens , Polysiphonia cf. sertularioides, Udotea palmetta ) from high intertidal down to 12 m depth.

Indian Ocean distribution. Aldabra Islands, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius ( Børgesen, 1945: 9), Rodrigues (this paper), Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Yemen.

Figures

FIGS 1–7. Rhodophytes. (1) Gracilaria corticata (HEC 14627). (2) Renouxia antillana (HEC 14804). (3) Platoma cyclocolpa (HEC 14805). (4) Titanophora pikeana (HEC 14875). (5, 6) Cryptonemia crenulata (HEC 14876): (5) general morphology; (6) serrate margin. (7) Cryptonemia crenulata (HEC 15134b): cross-section showing cortex and medulla with densely stained ganglionic cells. Scale bars: 1 cm (1, 3, 4); 2 cm (2, 5); 5 mm (6); 50 Mm (7).