The Pterocladiaceae is a small family of red algae containing 2 genera of agarophytes.Fan, K.-C. 1961. Morphological studies of the Gelidiales. University of California Publications in Botany 32: [i–iv], 315–368, 15 figs, Plates 33–46.
They are found growing on the coast of Portugal, South Africa, India, Japan, Mexico, Chile and New Zealand.Richard Koplik, Karel Cejpek and Jan Velisek
From the Gelidiales order, Gelidium and Pterocladia , are two of the most widespread genera (which have been often confused for each other) of the Gelidiaceae family. They are separated only by basic features of cystocarps (spore structures). The genus Pterocladiella was later established to segregate from Pterocladia those species with distinct carposporophyte developmental characters (Santelices and Hommersand 1997).
The family of Pterocladiaceae was derived in 2006 to hold the genera of Pterocladia and Pterocladiella. Molecular analyses of taxa within the Gelidiales identified four major lineages equivalent to Gelidiella, Pterocladia and Pterocladiella as sister taxa, and a fourth large clade including species of Acanthopeltis, Gelidium, Ptilophora, Porphyroglossum and Capreolia (Freshwater et al. 1995, Bailey and Freshwater 1997, Freshwater and Bailey 1998, Shimada et al. 1999).
The type genus is Pterocladia
Taxonomy The family name of Pterocladiaceae is derived from the genus Pterocladia, which is derived from the Greek words pteron meaning wing and clados meaning branch.Dr. Peter Jarvis
Genera As accepted by GBIF; Pterocladia J.Agardh, 1851 (8) Including P. lucida (R.Br. ex Turner) J.Agardh, 1851 Pterocladiella B.Santelices & M.H.Hommersand, 1997 (14)
Figures in brackets are approx. how many species per genus.
Uses Agar can be derived from many types of red seaweeds, including those from families such as Gelidiaceae, Gracilariaceae, Gelidiellaceae and Pterocladiaceae (including Pterocladiella,). It is a polysaccharide located in the inner part of the red algal cell wall. It is used in food material, medicines, cosmetics, therapeutic and biotechnology industries.Mohammed Kuddus and Roohi (editors)
References
Other sources Kamiya, M., Lindstrom, S.C., Nakayama, T., Yokoyama, A., Lin, S.-M., Guiry, M.D., Gurgel, F.D.G., Huisman, J.M., Kitayama, T., Suzuki, M., Cho, T.O. & Frey, W. 2017. Rhodophyta. In: Syllabus of Plant Families, 13th ed. Part 2/2: Photoautotrophic eukaryotic Algae. (Frey, W. Eds), pp. [i]–xii, –171. Stuttgart: Borntraeger Science Publishers. ISBN 978-3-443-01094-2.