Scientific Name
Dictyosphaeria cavernosa (Forssk.) Børgesen
Synonyms
Dictyosphaeria favulosa (C.Agardh) Decaisne ex Endlicher, Ulva cavernosa Forsskål, Valonia favulosa C.Agardh [1]
Vernacular Name
| English | Green bubble weed (Australia). [2] |
Geographical Distributions
Dictyosphaeria cavernosa is widely spread in tropical and subtropical seas all over the world. In Southeast Asia, this alga is recorded in all countries except Cambodia, Vietnam and Brunei Darussalam. [2]
Botanical Description
D. cavernosa falls under the family of Siphonocladaceae. It is a sessile thallus, dark green, hollow, measuring 2-5(-12) cm in diametre, nearly spherical, irregularly lobed or partly collapsed and occasionally concrescent. It is sometimes rupturing, irregularly saucer-shaped, and reaches a diametre of 30 cm in deep water. It is attached by irregularly elongated (rhizoidal) cells. The surface of thallus consists of a single layer of large angular vegetative cells, which are 0.1-1(-4.5) mm in diametre. The connecting tenacular cells are numerous, measuring 35-50 µm x 60-65 µm, lenticular, with simple or bifurcate haptera and often with fringed distal margins. [2]
The life cycle is diplohaplontic and isomorphic. The sporophytes are with 4 flagella zoospores. The male and female gametophytes produce biflagellate isogametes. [2]
Cultivation
D. cavernosa is commonly found on rocks and reefs in intertidal zone, where it is however often poorly developed. A little lower down on the shore, it reaches full size, and it has also been recorded at depths of up to 55 m. The composition and texture of the rocky substrate greatly influence communities of this alga. It often grows on white, porous shell remains, which reflect light and have a high water-holding capacity. The alga can penetrate this substrate and then grow in semi-protected niches. [2]
Chemical Constituent
No documentation
Plant Part Used
No documentation
Traditional Use
No documentation
Preclinical Data
No documentation
Clinical Data
No documentation
Poisonous Management
No documentation
Line Drawing
References
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Guiry MD. World Register of Marine Species. Dictyosphaeria cavernosa (Forsskål) Børgesen [homepage on the Internet]. c2015 [updated 2010 Dec 13; cited 2015 May 07]. Available from: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=214395
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Dictyosphaeria cavernosa (Forssk.) Børgesen In: Prud’homme van Reine WF, Trono Jr. GC, editors. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 15(1). Cryptograms: Algae. Leiden, Netherlands: Backhuys Publishers; 2001.
