Amphiroa fragillissima (Linnaeus) Lamouroux

Order Family    Genus Corallinales Corallinaceae Amphiroa

Amphiroa fragillissima (Lennaeus) Lamouroux

Characteristics

The thallus is multiaxial and has long and short cells in the intergenicular region; grows in the lower mid-littoral zone and favours sheltered areas; thallus is articulate, attaining a height of 4-6 cm; fresh specimens have a light purple colour; branching is dichotomous; intergenicula are short and the upper one comparatively longer; basal genicula are prominent and brownish; dichotomous branching generally have common genicula; genicula in this alga resembles a swollen pad; structurally the thallus is multiaxial, meristematic cells at the apical region are covered by a single layer of cover cells having a diameter of 6-8 µ; intergenicular medulla consists of long and short cells; height of the long cells varies from 33 - 77 µ; short cells have a diameter of 9 - 13 microns, cells of the medullary filaments spread out in the fun-like fashion, gradually becoming smaller towards the periphery; cortex varies from slightly to well developed cortical cells are circular to squarish; single layer of cover cells, 4-8 µ in dm; secondary pit connectios are found in the long and short cells in the medullary ragion of the intergenicula; geniculum is multizonal and consists of long and short cells; cells are thick walled and uncalcified, conceptacles are prominnt and not immersed in the frond, slightly elliptical ir round and 0.5 mm in diameter; tetrasporangial mother cells differentiate in the cortical region;
nuclei of the tetrasporangial mother cells divide twice and four spores are produced; tetrasporangia, 33-55 x 15-22 µm in size are intermingled with elongate thin paraphyces; mature conceptacles have an outer diameter of 210-275 µm and height of 135-188 µm; tetraspores liberate to the exterior through the ostiole..

Distribution : Gujarat, Malvan, Ratnagiri, (Maharashtra), Goa, Karwar.Honawar, Bhatkal, (Karnataka), Lakshadweep.

Ecological status : Intertidal zone.

IUCN status :NE

Uses :

Culture/Cultivation :