''Mastophora'' is a genus of thalloid

alga Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mi ...

comprising four species. The dimerous, crustose thalli comprise two groups of filaments. The bulk of the thallus is made of erect filaments, which may be one or many cells long. These grow approximately perpendicular to the filaments of a basal layer, usually one cell thick.

haustoria In botany and mycology, a haustorium (plural haustoria) is a rootlike structure that grows into or around another structure to absorb water or nutrients. For example, in mistletoe or members of the broomrape family, the structure penetrates t ...

, and

palisade cell Palisade cells are plant cells located on the leaves, right below the epidermis and cuticle that is the outermost layer of the leaf. In simpler terms, they are known as leaf cells. Palisade means "stake" in latin, they are vertically elongated an ...

sare present in the organisms but lack secondary

pit connection In algal anatomy, a pit connection is a hole in the septum between two algal cells, and is found only in the red algae − specifically, all orders except the Porphyridiales and haploid Bangiales. They are often stoppered with proteinaceous "pit p ...

s. ''Mastophora'' reproduces by means of

conceptacle Conceptacles are specialized cavities of marine and freshwater algae that contain the reproductive organs. They are situated in the receptacle and open by a small ostiole.Boney, A.D. (1969). ''A Biology of Marine Algae''. Hutchinson Educational L ...

s; it produces tetraspores and dispores.

Species

The valid species currently considered to belong to this genus are: *'' Mastophora laevis'' *'' Mastophora pacifica'' *'' Mastophora rosea'' *'' Mastophora variegata''

References

External links

Images
of ''Mastophora'' at

Algaebase AlgaeBase is a global species database of information on all groups of algae, both marine and freshwater, as well as sea-grass. History AlgaeBase began in March 1996, founded by Michael Guiry. Text was copied from this source, which is avai ...

Corallinaceae Red algae genera {{alga-stub