Biodiversity & Conservation

A red seaweed - Ahnfeltia plicata - General information

Ahnfeltia plicata

Image Francis Bunker - Bushy specimen of Ahnfeltia plicata in shallow sandy lower shore pool. Image width ca 15 cm.
Image copyright information

Distribution map

Ahnfeltia plicata recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

Sightings Have you seen Ahnfeltia plicata?
If so please submit your record.

Ahnfeltia plicata is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Will Rayment Text page icon Refereed by: Dr Fabio Rindi

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Rhodophyta Red seaweeds
Class Rhodophyta Red seaweeds
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Occurs on all coasts of Britain and Ireland. There is a paucity of records from south east England, reflecting a lack of suitable substrata.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Ahnfeltia plicata forms turfs on shallow sublittoral bedrock and in rockpools on the lower shore, often partly buried by sand. It may form part of the turf on soft or friable rocks which are too unstable for large fucoids. The tetrasporophyte phase is common on pebbles, whereas the mature gametophytes only occur on more stable substrata.
Text page icon Description A perennial red seaweed which forms dense, tangled tufts. The fronds are very fine, tough and wiry with irregular or dichotomous branching and up to 21 cm in length. The holdfast is disc-like or encrusting, 0.5 to 2 cm in diameter. The fronds are dark brown when moist and appear almost black when dry. The uppermost branches are often green.

This review can be cited as follows:

Will Rayment 2004. Ahnfeltia plicata. A red seaweed. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 25/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=2417>