cystocarps

Gracilaria: multinucleate tubular nutritive cells to roof, to base

Gracilariopsis: uninucleate conjunctor cells at base

Gracilariophila(parasite)

Hydropuntia: multinucleatetubular nutritive cells at baseof cystocarp

“TAPPING BACK”

Gracilaria: Gracilariopsis:

Gracilariophila: Hydropuntia:

male structures

in shallow or deep pits

super-ficial

in deep pits, con-necting to vege-tative cells

Gracilaria

Flat species

G. curtissiaeG. intermediaG. smithsoniensisG. galetensisG. hayiG. domingensisG. flabelliformisG. sp.G. lacinulata

Gracilaria smithsoniensis

Dichotomaria aff. marginata

Gracilaria smithsoniensis

Gracilaria smithsoniensis

Gracilaria curtissiae

-thick thallus; thinner lateral blade-like proliferations-often with small “teeth”

G. curtissieae

Gracilaria intermedia

Gracilaria intermedia

Gracilaria galetensis

G. galetensis

Gracilaria hayi

Gracilaria domingensis

Gracilaria domingensis

G. flabelliformis

G. flabelliformis

male structures in shallow pits

Gracilaria sp.

G. lacinulata

Rudimentary key to the external habit of the flat species of Gracilariaceae from Bocas

1. Thallus brown, leathery-thick, with thinner lateral blade-like proliferations; main blades with or without tiny marginal teeth

------------ G. curtissiae

1. Thallus not leathery-thick, of various shapes and colors --- --------------------------------------------------------------------------2

2. Stalk and holdfast hard and cartilaginous, with secondary cortex; blades even-sized, congested, dark wine red-brown --- Gracilaria sp.

2. Stalk and holdfast not hard and cartilaginous -- -----------------------------------------------------------3

3. thallus not pseudodichotomous --------------------4

3. thallus pseudodichotomous -------- ----------------6

4. Main axes with pronounced tooth-like marginal projections ----- ------------------------------------- G. domingensis

4. Blades without tooth-like projections -------------------- 5

5. Blades with leading axis and side branches --------- G. intermedia

5. Blades without leading axes, strap-shaped ------ G. lacinulata

5. No leading axis, axes of same-sized with, narrow apical regions -------------G. smithsoniensis (in part)

5. Leading axis, varying apical region ------ 6

6. Narrow apical branch subdichotomies -----G. flabelliformis

6. Branches with constant diameter 7

7. Branches narrow, with wide angles at tips --- G. smithsoniensis (in part)

7. Branches without wide angles 8

8. Blades with narrow pseudodichotomies----- G.galetensis

9. Blades thin, with broad, round pseudodichotomies--G. hayi

Cylindrical species

Gracilaria cervicornisGracilaria aff. cervicornis

Hydropuntia corneaHydropuntia caudata

Gracilariopsis aff. panamaensis

Gracilaria cervicornis

G. aff. cervicornis

Gracilaria aff. cervicornis

Hydropuntia cornea

Hydropuntia caudata

(=“thinner” G. cornea)

Hydropuntia caudata