Plocamium Explained

Plocamium is a genus of red algae in the family Plocamiaceae. It contains around 40 species and has a cosmopolitan distribution in temperate seas, although it is most diverse in the southern hemisphere.[1] It is widely distributed in tropical and also warm-temperate and cold-temperate seas, such as northern Europe,[2] the northern Arabian Sea and western Australia.[3] They are also found in the Antarctic regions of Admiralty Bay (maritime Antarctica, Antarctic Peninsula) and Terra Nova Bay (in the Ross Sea).[4]

Description

Plocamium has erect elliptical thalli that grow up to 50cm (20inches) in length. They are bright red in color with strongly flattened delicately branching fronds that further divide into two to five smaller branchlets.[5] [6] Cystocarps (fruiting parts) are either scattered along the frond margins or found on special short fertile branches, and lack a specialized pore for carpospore release. Tetrasporangia are borne in specialized stichidia (branches of the thallus) of various morphologies.[2]

Accepted species

Species classified under the genus include the following:[7] [8]

Nomina dubia
  • Notes and References

    1. Cremades . Javier . Barreiro . Rodolfo . Maneiro . Isabel . Saunders . Gary W. . A new taxonomic interpretation of the type of Plocamium cartilagineum (Plocamiales, Florideophyceae) and its consequences . European Journal of Phycology . 2011 . 46 . 2 . 125–142.
    2. Saunders . Gary W. . Lehmkuhl . K. Virginia . Molecular divergence and morphological diversity among four cryptic species of Plocamium (Plocamiales, Florideophyceae) in northern Europe . European Journal of Phycology . 2005 . 40 . 3 . 10.1080/09670260500192935. free .
    3. Wynne . Michael . November 2002 . A description of Plocamium fimbriatum sp. nov. (Plocamiales, Rhodophyta) from the Sultanate of Oman, with a census of currently recognized species in the genus . Nova Hedwigia . 75 . 3-4 . 333-356 . 10.1127/0029-5035/2002/0075-0333 .
    4. Majewska . Roksana . Kuklinski . Piotr . Balazy . Piotr . Yokoya . Nair Sumie . Martins . Aline Paternostro . De Stefano . Mario . A comparison of epiphytic diatom communities on Plocamium cartilagineum (Plocamiales, Florideophyceae) from two Antarcticareas . Polar Biology . 2014 . 10.1007/s00300-014-1578-7.
    5. Web site: Plocamium: the delicate beauty. https://web.archive.org/web/20040712005424/http://www.mbari.org/staff/conn/botany/reds/eric/PHYS.HTM. dead. July 12, 2004. MBARI, Phycological Society of America. February 7, 2012.
    6. Web site: Plocamium J.V.Lamouroux, 1813: 137. M.D. Guiry. 2012. AlgaeBase. National University of Ireland. February 7, 2012.
    7. Web site: World Distribution of Plocamium sp.. Nilauro Markus . Marla Ranelletti . Christopher Loo . amp . 1999. Plocamium pacificum. February 7, 2012.
    8. M.D. Guiry. 2012. 144223 . Plocamium J.V. Lamouroux, 1813 . algae. February 7, 2012.