Dermocorynus montagnei P.Crouan & H.Crouan, 1858
Common name: Grateloup's Pimple Weed (English)
Description: Plants are composed of horizontally expanded crusts and small erect reproductive papillae. The crusts are strongly adherent to the substrate but generally do not form rhizoids, have undulating, often slightly irregular outlines, and almost completely cover many of the smaller stones in our collections. The crustose parts of the plants are generally brownish-red but the reproductive papillae have a slightly more purple colour.The reproductive structures are confined to the papillae, which, in the wild material, seem to be scattered at random over the surface of the older parts of the crusts. Tetrasporangial and carposporangial papillae often appear to be arising from the same crust but it is likely that crusts of different phases easily become confluent. The mature reproductive papillae are to 2 mm long and to 500 µm broad and reproductive organs are initially present on the papillae when about 500 µm long. Branched papillae were not found on any of our specimens. The papillae are all more or less terete and ovate or slightly obovate when fully fertile; the tetrasporangial papillae are regular in outline whilst the carposporangial papillae are irregular and warty. The tips may be distinctly pointed in the younger papillae. Spermatangia are found on both the more mature cystocarp-bearing papillae and on the young gametangial papillae; the species appears to be always monoecious.
Habitat: On pebbles and gravel in the subtidal of sheltered bays.
Distribution: W Ireland (Galway, Kerry), Wales, SW Britain (Devon, Cornwall), Brittany (type locality), Spain
Similar species: Grateloupia minima
Reference: Guiry, M.D. & Maggs, C.A. (1982). The morphology and life history of Dermocorynus montagnei Crouan frat. (Halymeniaceae; Rhodophyta) from Ireland. British Phycological Journal 17: 215-228. Link: Algaebase
Description: Plants are composed of horizontally expanded crusts and small erect reproductive papillae. The crusts are strongly adherent to the substrate but generally do not form rhizoids, have undulating, often slightly irregular outlines, and almost completely cover many of the smaller stones in our collections. The crustose parts of the plants are generally brownish-red but the reproductive papillae have a slightly more purple colour.The reproductive structures are confined to the papillae, which, in the wild material, seem to be scattered at random over the surface of the older parts of the crusts. Tetrasporangial and carposporangial papillae often appear to be arising from the same crust but it is likely that crusts of different phases easily become confluent. The mature reproductive papillae are to 2 mm long and to 500 µm broad and reproductive organs are initially present on the papillae when about 500 µm long. Branched papillae were not found on any of our specimens. The papillae are all more or less terete and ovate or slightly obovate when fully fertile; the tetrasporangial papillae are regular in outline whilst the carposporangial papillae are irregular and warty. The tips may be distinctly pointed in the younger papillae. Spermatangia are found on both the more mature cystocarp-bearing papillae and on the young gametangial papillae; the species appears to be always monoecious.
Habitat: On pebbles and gravel in the subtidal of sheltered bays.
Distribution: W Ireland (Galway, Kerry), Wales, SW Britain (Devon, Cornwall), Brittany (type locality), Spain
Similar species: Grateloupia minima
Reference: Guiry, M.D. & Maggs, C.A. (1982). The morphology and life history of Dermocorynus montagnei Crouan frat. (Halymeniaceae; Rhodophyta) from Ireland. British Phycological Journal 17: 215-228. Link: Algaebase
Photograph © Robert Wilkes.
Illustration
©M.D. Guiry (scale = 2 mm) Habit of Dermocorynus montagnei Crouan frat. from Flannery Bridge, Co. Galway. Scale = 2 ram. (a) Young gametangial papillae collected on 14 March 1981. (b) More mature gametangial papillae collected on 14 March 1981. (c) Mature tetrasporangial papillae collected on 13 July 1980. (d) Mature cystocarpic papillae collected on 13 July 1980.
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