Culture studies on Pterocladia melanoidea (Schousboe ex Bornet) comb. nov. (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta)

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Abstract
An isolate from Mallorca (Balearic Islands) of the alga previously known as Gelidium melanoideum was studied in culture, and completion of its life cycle has been observed for the first time. G. melanoideum is transferred to the genus Pterocladia on the basis of the presence of unilocular cystocarps and development of carposporangia in short chains. Growth and reproductive responses to varying light and temperature regimes were measured and are discussed in the context of present geographical distribution and control of life history. Cystocarps develop only above 12.degree.C and at daily photon exposures lower than a critical level (daily photon exposures below c. 4.0 mol m-2); development was not photoperiodic. Morphological characters such as distribution of internal rhizoids, arrangement and size of cortical cells and arrangement of tetrasporangia were compared and found to be similar to those of type material.