Lobophora challengeriae C.W.Vieira

Kwan, Valerie, Yip, Zhi Ting, Fong, Jenny & Huang, Danwei, 2021, Diversity and phylogeny of the brown alga Lobophora (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) in Singapore, Phytotaxa 496 (3), pp. 215-227 : 223

Lobophora challengeriae C.W.Vieira in Vieira et al. (2019a: 231)

Lobophora sp 16 Vieira et al. 2017

Specimens observed:— LOBO28, LOBO37, LOBO38, LOBO41, LOBO44 (Reef Ecology Laboratory, National University of Singapore, NUS)

Description:—Thallus large, erect and flabellate, exhibits fasciculate growth form ( Fig. 4A ). Base of thallus narrow, attached to the substratum by basal rhizoids. Margin entire. Thallus 3.5–7 cm wide and 3.5–9 cm tall, dark brown. Thallus 185–267 μm thick, composed of a single layer of medulla cells, 2–4 layers of dorsal cortical cells, and 2–4 layers of ventral cortical cells ( Fig. 4B and 4C ). Medulla cells 30–151 μm wide and 51–85 μm thick. Dorsal and ventral cortical cell layers 60–86 μm and 57–104 μm thick respectively.

Holotype:—PC0063047 ( IRD 11086). Kavieng , Papua New Guinea. 13 August 2014. Collected by C. Payri.

Distribution:— Kenya, Oman, Sri Lanka, Tanzania ( Vieira et al. 2016), Papua New Guinea ( Vieira et al. 2019a), Singapore (this study).

Habitat:—Reef flat (1–2 m depth), reef crest (3–4 m depth) and reef slope (8–10 m depth). Loosely attached to hard substratum, growing in dense clumps.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Morphological observations of Lobophora species found in Singapore. Lobophora challengeriae in situ (A), L. challengeriae longitudinal section (B), L. challengeriae transverse section (C). Lobophora lamourouxii in situ (D) (inset: sori), L. lamourouxii longitudinal section (E), L. lamourouxii transverse section (F). Lobophora pachyventera morphotype 1 in situ (G) (inset: morphotype 2), L. pachyventera longitudinal section (H), L. pachyventera transverse section (I). Lobophora sp61 in situ (J), Lobophora sp61 longitudinal section (K), Lobophora sp61 transverse section (L). The metallic scale is 2.5 cm in width (A, D, G, J). Scale bars represent 0.1 mm.