Valonia ocellata M.Howe

• Region

  West Indies

• Country

  Bahamas

• Locality

  Watling Island, in the lagoon

• Coordinates

  24.0639, -74.5326

• Georeferencing Method

  Estimated using locality data.

• Distribution

  Map all specimens of this taxon

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THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

North American Marine Algae

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^ '	Collected in the lagoon, Watling Island,

by Marshall A. Howe, November 25, 1907.

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4; Valonia ocelláta M. A. Howe, sp. nov.

Plants for the most part filamentous, densely cespitóse or crustaceorts, the ?
cushions, under favorable conditions becoming 10-20 cm. broad and 4-6 cm.
thick; the superior or dorsal parts consisting of small few-celled discs, or more
often, oblong or linear, irregular, multicellular filaments mostly 1-4 cells broad,
the cells polyhedral or augulate-subglobose, 0.45—0.9 mm. in maximum diameter,
with numerous small flattened ellipsoidal or lentiform cells 50-90 y- in long
diameter along their separating walls; few or many of the ventral and lateral
cells of the superior or dorsal facetted parts growing out into rather rigid
descending stilt-like or root-like non-septate processes, mostly 5-30 mm. long
and 0.5-0.S mm. in diameter; occasional cells in dorsal parts enclosing few or-
numerous aplanespores 200-3^0 y. in diameter.

In shallow water in lagoons, on pneumntophores of .4 vicennia between the tide-,
lines, and low-littoral on rocks, both in exposed and sheltered locations, common.
New Providence, Bimini, Watling's Island, Atwood (‘ay, Mariguana, and Caicos
Islands:—Bermuda, Porto Rico, and American Virgin Islands. Type. Howe 5090
frpxn-the great lake or lagoon of Watling's Island, Nov. 25, ID'IT. A

Valonia ocellata is perhaps related to Mctyoxphaeria ralonioides Zanard . which
Hauck believed to be a condition of Valonia 111 acrophysa, but manifestly differs in .
its smaller cells, in never being hollow, and rarely, if ever, globose, and in the
absence of large vesicular marginal cells. Specimens from Bermuda and the West
Indies have sometimes been referred to Valonia utricnlarin forma cruntaca Kuck.,
from which it differs in having its superior parts divided by cross-walls iitto more
or less, polyhedral or angulate-subglobose cells instead of consisting of interwoven
and ctftfipacted clávate or obovoid cells. The plant bears some resemblance to young
stages of species of Dictyoftphaeria but the small-celled or faceted parts are usually
elongate, vittate, or irregularly discoid, very rarely subgloboseA It occurs in great
abundance in lagoons, often associated with Valonia Aegayropila and remaining per-
fectly distinct. It is found in a greater variety of habitats and it evidently deserves
a distinctive specific name, at least until such time as cultures may prove it to be
capable of assuming the characters of some previously described species.

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