Sphacelaria rigidula Kützing

after Prud'homme van Reine 1982 and Setchell and Gardner 1924a and 1925

Synonyms:

Sphacelaria subfusca Setchell et Gardner, S. furcigera Kützing

Illustrations:

Abbott and Hollenberg 1976, p. 219, fig. 181 (branching pattern); Kitayama 1994, p. 73, fig. 22 (photos: habit in nature), p. 80, fig. 28 (photos: unilocular and plurilocular sporangia), p. 82, fig. 29 (photos: unilocular sporangia), p. 78, fig. 26 (photos: propagules); Prud'homme van Reine 1982, p. 204, figs. 508–510 (habit), fig. 517 (branching detail), p. 207, figs. 538–540 (unilocular organs), figs. 541–544 (plurilocular organs); Setchell and Gardner 1924a, pl. 19, fig. 58 (branch with male and female gametangia); Setchell and Gardner 1925, pl. 37, fig. 28 (branching pattern), fig. 29 (branching pattern)

Pacific Coast Distribution:

Prince William Sound, Alaska (Johansen 1971b, p. 66) to Luffenholtz Beach, Humboldt Co., Calif. (Dawson 1965a, p. 13); Carmel Bay, Monterey Co., Calif. (Abbott and Hollenberg 1976, p. 218); Channel Is., Calif. (Anacapa I.: Dawson and Neushul 1966, p. 174; Santa Catalina I.: Nicholson and Cimberg 1971, p. 377); Los Angeles Co., Calif. (Redondo Beach: Setchell and Gardner 1925, p. 396; San Pedro: Abbott and Hollenberg 1976, p. 218); Laguna Beach, Orange Co., Calif. (Abbott and Hollenberg 1976, p. 218); Isla Guadalupe, Baja Calif. (Dawson 1953b, p. 112); to Galápagos Is. (Dawson 1957a, p. 3); Gulf of California (Isla Tiburón to La Paz: Dawson 1953b, p. 112)

Taxonomy:

Kitayama 1994; Prud'homme van Reine 1982, p. 20

Molecular Taxonomy:

Tan and Druehl 1994; Tan and Druehl 1993

Life History:

Propagules were produced in culture in temperatures greater than 12C. Meiosis took place in the unilocular organs with half the plants becoming male gametophytes and the other half female gametophytes. Anisogamous gametangia were produced at 4 C, 12 C, and 17 C in long days only. The gametes fused, or females can develop parthenogenetically (Colijn and van den Hoek 1971; van den Hoek and Flinterman 1968)

Phenology:

In Europe both plurilocular and unilocular plants are known, whereas Pacific plants are only unilocular in the north, and sterile, with propagules, or with plurilocular organs in the south

Chromosomes:

van den Hoek and Flinterman 1968

Biology/Ecology:

Aguilar Rosas and Machado Galindo 1990, p. 188; Stewart 1982, p. 48; Dworetzky et al. 1980

Ultrastructure:

Katsaros et al. 1994

Physiology:

ten Hoopen et al. 1983