Lophocladia lallemandii (Montagne) F.Schmitz

Costanzo, Luca Giuseppe, Marletta, Giuliana & Alongi, Giuseppina, 2021, Non-indigenous macroalgal species in coralligenous habitats of the Marine Protected Area Isole Ciclopi (Sicily, Italy), Italian Botanist 11, pp. 31-44 : 31

Lophocladia lallemandii (Montagne) F.Schmitz

Description.

The collected specimens correspond to the description of Cormaci et al. (2004), Rodríguez-Prieto et al. (2013) and Verlaque et al. (2015). The thalli of this species are dark red, filamentous and are attached to the substrate by rhizoids with multicellular discs. The axes are cylindrical and dichotomously branched, with a monopodial structure. Each axial cell develops four pericentral cells. Trichoblasts are pigmented and are formed radially, one per segment, in a regular spiral. Branches are mainly exogenous and replace a trichoblast. In our samples, only gamethophytes were found.

Chorology.

Indo-Pacific.

Presumed introduction vector.

Spontaneously through the Suez Canal.

Remarks.

This species has spread throughout the Mediterranean Sea, colonising subtidal communities from shallow waters to deep environments ( Verlaque et al. 2015). According to Bedini et al. (2011), the percentage cover of L. lallemandii increase with depth. In the coralligenous habitats of the MPA, this species has been recorded since the 1970s ( Furnari and Scammacca 1970; Furnari et al. 1977).