Biodiversity & Conservation

A red seaweed - Membranoptera alata

A red seaweed

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Distribution map

Membranoptera alata recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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Membranoptera alata is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Rhodophyta Red seaweeds
Class Florideophyceae
Authority (Hudson) Stackhouse
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Widely distributed throughout the British Isles but not recorded from parts of eastern England.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Grows on rocks or on other red and brown seaweeds as an epiphyte, particularly laminarians. Inhabits shady rock pools, the sublittoral and deeper waters.
Text page icon Description Membranoptera alata is a red or reddish-brown seaweed, up to 20 cm in length, with a flat, narrow frond. It exhibits a midrib and many fine, lateral veins, which can be clearly seen under a hand lens. It has many branches, arising from the central axis, which are irregular, dichotomous, and copiously branched in one plane. This perennial plant has a thin membranous thallus.
Identifying features
  • Blades width 0.6-2.4 mm.
  • Conspicuous midrib width of 0.15-0.5 mm, with many lateral veins.
  • Branches are irregular, dichotomous, and copiously branched in one plane.
Additional information icon Additional information Membranoptera alata can sometimes be confused with Hypoglossum woodwardii. However, Hypoglossum woodwardii lacks the distinct lateral veins found in Membranoptera alata. Membranoptera alata is fertile in the winter months.

This review can be cited as follows:

Rose Edwards 2003. Membranoptera alata. 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 09/02/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=3790>