Chaetomorpha linum (O.F.Müller ) Kützing, 1845


Division     Chlorophyta
Class     Ulvophyceae
Order     Cladophorales
Family    Cladophoraceae
Basionym     Conferva linum O.F.Müller 1845
SynonymLychaete linum (O.F.Müller) Areschoug, Rhizoclonium linum (O.F.Müller) Thuret ex Bornet, Conferva aerea Dillwyn, Conferva linoides S.F.Gray, Conferva linoides C.Agardh, Conferva rigida C.Agardh, Conferva setacea C.Agardh, Chloronitum aerea (Dillwyn) Gaillon, Conferva sutoria Berkeley, Conferva torulosa Zanardini, Conferva dalmatica Kützing, Chaetomorpha torulosa Kützing, Chaetomorpha rigida Kützing, Chaetomorpha reticulata Kützing, Conferva crassiuscula Zanardini, Chaetomorpha sutoria (Berkeley) Harvey, Chaetomorpha linum var. brachyarthra Schiffner, Chaetomorpha linum<.i> f. aerea (Dillwyn) Collins, Chaetomorpha linum f. brachyarthra (Kützing) Børgesen, Chaetomorpha crassa f. tenuior Schiffner

    Thalli cylindrical, stiff, curled, or twisted, dark to pale green in colour, measure 40-65 cm length. During the winter season, between December and January, the thalli reach their maximum length. Thallus unbranched and attached with the help of rhizoid. Cells cylindrical to barrel-shaped; cell spherical towards apex.


Ecology

Free floating, or entangled with other algae.


Distribution in India

Salt Lake, Bengal (Biswas, 1926); Veraval (Subbaramaiah, 1971); Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka (Untawale et al., 1983); Lakshadweep (Untawale & Jagtap, 1984; Jagtap 1987); Tamil Nadu (Rajendran et al., 1991); Nicobar Island (Jagtap, 1992); Nicobar & Lakshadweep (Silva et al., 1996).