Articulated Coralline Algae of the Gulf of California, Mexico, I: Amphiroa Lamouroux. Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences, Number 9

摘要

Species of Amphiroa Lamouroux (Corallinaceae; Cryptonemiales) are common in intertidal and shallow subtidal zones in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In the Gulf of California Mexico, they are the most prominent articulated coralline algae; two other coralline genera are found there, Jania Lamouroux and Corallina Linnaeus. The fronds of Amphiroa are purplish, bushy clumps 1 to 12 cm long, or turfs 1 to 2 cm thick. They grow in a variety of habitats, but usually require at least some degree of wave action. A terminology has arisen with respect to articulated coralline algae (Johansen, 1974). The fronds are made up of numerous jointed branches consisting of calcified segments called 'intergenicula.' The intergenicula are separated from one another by uncalcified nodes, or 'genicula'. Extending through a branch is a core of medullary filaments with the cells in tiers, which is surrounded by a cortex and epithallus.