Some Interesting Records of Algae from IrelandAuthor(s): Osborne MortonSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 19, No. 7 (Jul., 1978), pp. 240-242Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25538193 .

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240 Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 19. No. 7. 1978

SOME INTERESTING RECORDS OF ALGAE FROM IRELAND Osborne Morton

Three recent algal records from the north of Ireland are reported below. Chlorochytrium sp. in Enteromorpha flexuosa.

On 31 August 1975, specimens of Enteromorpha flexuosa (Wulf. ex Roth) J. Ag. were collected growing, apparently unattached, on mud in the mid-littoral to the south-east of

Roily Island in Strangford Lough, Co Down (J5264). While making

a provisional determination of the species large green cells were noted among those of the Enteromorpha. Dr E. M. Burrows kindly determined these as Chloro chytrium Cohn growing endophytically in E. flexuosa. The species C. willei Printz is a common endophyte in Blidingia Kylin, however this is the first record of a

Chlorochytrium in a true Enteromorpha in the British Isles. The cells are partially embedded in the thallus of the Enteromorpha and

are rounded or somewhat flattened in lateral and surface view, with a maximum diameter of 30-50/^m. The chloroplast is a lobed parietal plate and appears to have occasional processes running towards the centre of the cell. The cells divide to form about 120 swarmers but it was not possible to determine the number of flagella. In some instances the presence of the endophyte appeared to have had an adverse effect on the surrounding Enteromorpha cells In that the chloroplasts were contracted to the wall farthest away from the Chlorochytrium. cell and the pyrenoids were less distinct than in other cells of the Enteromorpha thallus (Fig. 1).

A possibly similar Chlorochytrium occurring in a richly branched Entero morpha has recently been described briefly and illustrated by Kornmann and Sahling (1977), though they have not identified it with a species.

Without experimental work it is impossible to know whether the cells described here belong to an already described Chlorochytrium species occurring on an unusual host or whether they belong to a distinct entity as yet undescribed (E. M. Burrows, pers. comm.).

Two marine species of Chlorochytrium have been recorded from Ireland. C. cohnii Wright was described and recorded by Wright from Howth, Co Dublin living on Various, species of Schizoriemu, Polysiphonia etc.; also on Infusoria".

Wright (1879). Since then it has been reported from Co Cork and Co Wexford. The other species, C. willei Printz, has been reported from Cos Clare, Galway and

Wexford, (M. Guiry, pers. comm.). Two pressed specimens and one formalin specimen have been lodged in

the Ulster Museum (BEL) accession numbers F409 and F410.

Lomentaria orcadensis

On 5 August 1976, specimens of Lomentaria orcadensis (Harv.) Coll. ex Taylor were collected at Garron Point, Co Antrim (D3023) near the bottom of a steep sided rock pool or gully, shaded from the light and in the lower littoral of a

moderately exposed shore. This is the seventh time that this rare species has been found in Ireland and the first in the north of Ireland. The identification has been confirmed by Mrs L. M. Irvine and the specimen is lodged in the Ulster Museum (BEL) accession number F1652.

Lomentaria orcadensis was first collected in Ireland, from Bantry, Co Cork, by Miss Ellen Hutchins in 1807, the specimen is in the British Museum (BM) (L. M. Irvine, pers. comm.). I understand this record has. never been published. There were no further Irish records until 1969 when it was recorded from Hook

Head in Co Wexford during a visit by the British Phycological Society (Norton 1970a). It was one of several species "thought to be rare or of limited distribution in the British Isles" (Norton 1970b). Also during 1969 the species was found in

Bantry Bay, Co Cork (Guiry 1971). The Bantry Bay material come from "a deep sheltered pool", a habitat possibly similar to that of the Garron Point specimen. Four further records from four sites on the west Waterford coast between 1970 and 1976 are noted in Guiry (1977).

Outside Ireland the species has been recorded from the Isle of Man (Lodge 1954) and in England from Cornwall, Devon, Kent, Yorkshire and Northumberland (Batters 1902) and Lundy Island (Irvine et al. 1972). In Scotland it is recorded from

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Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 19. No. 7. 1978 241

l_-4-?I-U_-1-1

50 ju m Figure 1 Chlorochytrium sp.; a. Embedded in the thallus of Enteromorpha flexuosa; b. Swarmers. (Drawings by Dr E. M. Burrows).

Berwickshire (Norton 1976), the Outer Hebrides (Norton 1972) and Orkney (Wilkinson 1975).

Codium bursa A third record of interest is that of Codium bursa (L.) C. Ag. This species

is usually referred to as. being very rare, however two specimens were collected on 24 July 1977, by three divers, Mr Bernard Picton, Miss Jill M. Bustard and Miss Eileen Kelly who were diving at a depth of 10 metres below low water in part of

Mulroy Bay near Kindrum, Co Donegal (C 1841). The two specimens, now preserved in the Ulster Museum (BEL) accession numbers F 1189 and F1190, were reported to have been attached with others when collected.

Our specimens, are of considerable size. The species is usually described as spherical. Neither of our specimens is of that shape, although one is a collapsed sphere some 20 cms in diameter, the other is more contorted and 23 cms in its

longest dimension. Both were of a deep velvet green colour when fresh. These records, are of considerable interest and the specimens are the only

examples of the species in the Ulster Museum. Harvey (1850) wrote "No one has met with this plant near Belfast but Mr Templeton, and I have not seen his

specimens". The species is in neither of the Templeton collections in the Museum

(Kertland, 1967, Pilcher, 1967). However, John Templeton (1766-1825) in his MS entitled Hibernia Flora (Ulster Museum accession number L2-1939) recorded the

finding of these drift specimens: "Found on the shore of Belfast Lough after a

storm with fragments of shells adhering to the base". Unfortunately he did not

illustrate them. At that time Codium was included within the genus Fucus. Temple ton disagreed with this, he considered it a genus distinct from Fucus. "Amidst the various and yet ill understood collection of plants that at present compose the Genus

Fucus, the species which I have transferred (sic) to this Genus, certainly present a

variation in their structure which justifies a separation, a cartilaginous substance more or less rigid, and simplicity of construction resembling that of the Fungi more

than that of any other class, hold the Fuel completely distinct from this Genus." He described the genus?"Gen. char. Frond composed of closely inter

laced capillary fibres from which grow a series of simple tubular club shaped

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242 Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 19. No. 7. 1978

vesicles having at the time of fructification slender simple filaments and small oblong lanceolate sessile capsules containing very minute granules." He recognised two species, one now referred to as Codium tomentosum Stackh. and another which is now referred to as C. bursa (L.) C. Ag. The latter he described as "a dark green sperical (sic) hollow frond" and he discussed its similarity to the other species and to animals of the "Genus Spongia". In respect of the latter comparison he pointed out that "on a more close examination there may however be perceived in its internal sufficient characters to establish it as belonging to the Class of Vegetables,"

From this MS it is clear that he studied the specimens closely and it seems unlikely that his record of C. bursa is an error, as suggested in Anon (1874).

Although Templeton did not illustrate his specimen of C. bursa, a specimen is illustrated in English Botany, pl.2183, (Smith and Sowerby 1810) and of it the

authors wrote; "Our specimens wore gathered in the Irish seas by Mr Templeton near Belfast, and their fibrous roots were attached to fragments of shells." The illustration appears tobe of Codium bursa and supports his record. Harvey does

not give any other Irish locations and there does not appear to be any previous valid specimen of this species from Irish shores (H. Parkes?pers. comm.).

C. bursa has been recorded in England from Sussex, where it was once plentiful (Giflord 1835), from Cornwall, Devon and the Channel Islands (Batters 1902). It has also been recorded from the Canary Islands (B0rgesen 1925). I have

collected specimens in the Mediterranean where it seems to have been recorded from a number of localities (Chapman 1962).

Acknowledgements I am most grateful to Dr E. M. Burrows for her determination of the

endophyte in Enteromorpha as Chlorochytrium sp. and for her description and drawings of it included in this paper, I would also like to thank Mrs L, M. Irvine for confirming my determination of Lomentaria orcadensis and for details of the unpublished specimen in the British Museum (Natural History).

My thanks are due to Mr B. Picton, Miss J. M. Bustard and Miss E. Kelly for collecting the specimens of Codium bursa, to Miss H. Parkes for her informa tion concerning invalid specimens in Irish herbaria and to Dr Michael D. Guiry for criticism of a draft manuscript. Mary McTear and Irene McKeown typed the

manuscript with their usual meticulous care.

Botany Department, Ulster Museum, Belfast. REFERENCES

Anon, (1874) Guide to Belfast and the Adjacent Counties. Belfast. Batters, E. A. L. (1902) A catalogue of the British marine algae. /. Bot, Land. 40 (Suppl.) ;

1-107.

B0rgesens F. (1925) Marine, algae from the Canary Islands. I Chlorophyceac, K. dansk. Vidensk. Selsk. Biol Meddr. 5 (3) : 1-123.

Chapman, V. J. (1962) The Algae. Macmillan, London. Gifford, J. (1853) The Marine Botanist. Brighton and London, Guiry, M. D. (1971) Lomentaria orcadensis (Harv.) Taylor from Bantry Bay, Co Cork. Ir. Nat. J. 17 : 58-59.

-, (1977) Notes on Irish marine algae 1. New records from west Waterford coast. Ir. Nat. J. 19 : 80-85. Harvey, W. H. (1846-51) Phycologia Brita-nnica. (PL CCXC publ. 1850). London. Irvine, D. E. G., Smith, R. M., Tittley, I., Fletcher, R. L. and Farnham, W. E (1972) A survey of the marine algae of Lundy. Br. phycol. J. 7 : 119-135.

Kertland, M. P. H. (1967) The specimens of Templeton's algae in The Queen's University herbarium. Ir. Nat. J. 15 : 318-322. Kornmann, P. and Sahling, P. H. (1977) Meeresaigen von Helgoland Benthische Grim-, Braun-und Rotalgen. Helgoldnder yviss. Meeresunters. 29 : 1-289. Lodge, S. (1954) Sublittoral algal communities in the Isle of Man. Rapp. Commun. VIII Int. bot Congr. 17 : 139-140. Norton, T. A. (1970a) The marine algae of County Wexford, Ireland. Br. phycol J. 5 : 257-266. -, (1970b) A survey of the seaweeds of County; Wexford, Ir. Nat. J. U : 390-391. -, (1972) The marine algae of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides. Br. phycol J. 7 : 375-385. '

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Pilcher, B. (1967) The algae of John Templeton in the Ulster Museum. Ir. Nat J. 15 : 350-353. Smith, J. E. and Sowerby, J. (1810) EngHsh BcMcmy. 31 : .pl.2183, London. Wright, E. P. (1879) On a new species of parasitic green alga belonging to the genus Chlorochytrium of Cohn. Trans. R. Ir. Acad. 26 : 355-368. Wilkinson, M. (1975) The marine algae of Orkney. Br. phycol J. W: 387-397.

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