Acanthophora spicifera

Scientific Name:-

Acanthophora spicifera

Common Name:-

Spiny Seaweed / Spiny Alga

Malayalam Name:-

Category:-

Sea weeds

Status:-

Not Known

Description:-

Thallus brittle, spiny, wide spreading, to 25 cm high, color variable, brown, red-brown, green to yellow; branching irregularly radial, sparse. Branches cylindrical, 0.6-3.0 mm diam., with central polysiphonous core surrounded by heavy cortication; spur-like spines absent. Branchlets uniformly abundant, short, possessing spur-like spines; spines to 0.5 mm long; hair-like filaments in clusters, obscure, deciduous. Holdfast irregularly lobed, disc-like. Tetrasporangia in linear rows, 42-50 µm diam., 60-80 µm long, tetrahedrally divided, in short spine-like swollen branchlets. Spermatangial clusters disc-like, often present at base of sterile hair stalks. Cystocarps urn-shaped, 0.5-1.0 mm diam., solitary, in axes of spines. Coloration varies with exposure to sunlight, from yellow in shallow waters exposed to bright light, to green, red or dark brown in areas with lower irradiation.

Threats:-

Not recorded

Remark:-

Reported from Kerala coast by Nair et al. (1982) and Chennubhotla et al. (1988).

Habitat:-

Intertidal up to 8 m, attaches on pebbles, rocks, etc.

Synonyms:-

Acanthophora antillarum Montagne ex Kützing 1865, Acanthophora intermedia Crouan, Acanthophora orientalis J. Agardh 1863, Acanthophora orientalis var. wightii (J. Agardh) Sonder 1879, Acanthophora spicifera f. orientalis (J.Agardh) Weber-van Bosse 1923, Acanthophora spicifera f. wightii (J. Agardh) Weber-van Bosse 1923, Acanthophora spicifera var. orientalis (J. Agardh) Zaneveld 1956, Acanthophora thierryi f. gracilis P.L. Crouan & H.M. Crouan 1878, Acanthophora thierryi J.V. Lamouroux 1813, Acanthophora wightii J. Agardh 1863, Chondria acanthophorara C. Agardh 1822, Fucus acanthophorus J.V. Lamouroux 1805, Fucus spicifer M. Vahl 1802

References:-

Nair, N.B., V. Shobha andArunachalam M. 1982 . Algae from southern Kerala coast. Indian J. Mar, Sci, 11 (3): 266-269.
Chennubhotla,-V.S.K.; Ramachandrudu,-B.S.; Kaladharan,-P.; Dharmaraja,-S.K. (1988). Seaweed resources of Kerala Coast. Aquatic Biology, 7: 69-74
http://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=3309

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