Chara aridicola Casanova & Karol 2023, nom. nov., stat. nov.

• Main Authors: Casanova, Michelle T., Karol, Kenneth G.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2023
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Plantae; Charophyta; Charophyceae; Charales; Characeae; Chara; Chara aridicola; Chara contraria
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10979057; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B187C6FFD5FFA11E05C8A5FC43F0EC

Chara aridicola Casanova & Karol, nom. nov., stat. nov. Chara contraria var. australis A.Braun, Linnaea 25: 708 (1853). Type : in Nova Hollandiae interiore prope Cudnaka, Oct. 1851, F. v. Mueller 5 (holo: MEL!) . [ Chara vulgaris var. vulgaris auct. non L.: R.D.Wood, Nova Hedwigia 22: 14–16 (1971) ] Monoecious. Plants up to ~ 100 mm high, heavily calcified. Axes 500–1400 µm in diameter (Fig. 5 a ); 2× corticated, aulacanthous (i.e. spine cells appear to be in furrows because the primary cortical cells are smaller), 18–24 cells around (Fig. 5 d ). Spine cells globose or conspicuous, 60–200 μm long, 50–70 μm in diameter. Stipulodes inconspicuous, in 2 rows, twice the number in each row as the number of branchlets in the adjacent whorl, uppers 100–300 μm long, lowers 50–150 μm long, downward pointing or globose. Branchlets partly and often incompletely corticated (on the lowest 1–3 branchlet internodes), 8–10 in a whorl, up to 17 mm long, segments 6 or 7, terminated by a single cell (Fig. 5 b ). Bract cells innermost up to 1.5 mm long, ~2 of them, outer up to 250 μm long, bracteoles 2, shorter than innermost bract cells but longer than the immature oosporangia. Gametangia conjoined singly at the lowest 3 corticated branchlet nodes. Very rarely there are 2 oosporangia above a single antheridium. Oosporangia 1100–1200 μm long, 500–630 μm wide, coronula 150 × 280 μm, somewhat spreading (Fig. 5 c ). Antheridia up to 500 µm in diameter. Oospores black, 750–820 μm long and 450–500 μm wide with 13–17 ridged striae (Fig. 5 e ), fossa smooth (Fig. 5 f ), end-cell impression ~140 μm across (Fig. 5 g ). Gyrogonites present. Chromosomes n = 28 (specimen Casanova p780 ). Distribution In semi-permanent bores, quarry ponds and springs of the Northern Territory and South Australia; the water chemistry has not been recorded. Etymology ‘ Aridicola ’, from Latin aridus , dry, and - cola , dwelling, describing the species’ preference (particularly the type material) for arid zones, referring to its occurrence in arid and semi-arid ...