Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help
Researched by | Megan Mardle | Refereed by | This information is not refereed |
Authority | (Hudson) Kuntze, 1891 | ||
Other common names | - | Synonyms | - |
A leathery, tufted red seaweed that is brownish red, dark purple or black in colour but that can be bleached to brown in summer. The distinct thallus grows to 3-30 cm in height consisting of dense cylindrical to irregularly rounded tuffs of black leathery fronds. It has many branches with a highly variable pattern from an irregular spiral to a regular feather arrangement with branchlets arranged alternatively in two rows either side. The base of the plant remains free of branches and is tough and flexible in texture.
Widely distributed and common in Britain and Ireland.
Widely distributed in the Baltic Sea and the northwest of Europe from Germany to Portugal. Recorded from Newfoundland to North Carolina, Iceland, the Black Sea and the east coast of Argentina and Uruguay.
It is found in abundance on a wide variety of substrata from maerl beds to pebbles and bedrock to artificial substrata such as marina pontoons. It is found in extremely sheltered to extremely wave exposed sites and sub-tidally at sheltered sites with some current exposure. It is tolerant of sand cover and high levels of silt. It is a dominant intertidal species in some areas.
This species was accidentally introduced into the Mediterranean on multiple occasions most likely by fishing baits and shipping. First found in the Étang du Prévost (France) in 1988 it is now widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean (Guiry & Guiry, 2022).
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Bunker, F.StD.P., Brodie, J.A., Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A.R., 2017. Seasearch Guide to Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland (Second edition). Plymouth: Wild Nature Press.
Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2015. AlgaeBase [Online], National University of Ireland, Galway [cited 30/6/2015]. Available from: http://www.algaebase.org/
Maggs, C.A. & Hommersand, M.H., 1993. Seaweeds of the British Isles: Volume 1 Rhodophycota Part 3A Ceramiales. London: Natural History Museum, Her Majesty's Stationary Office.
NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Atlas. Available from: https://www.nbnatlas.org.
OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System), 2023. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2023-01-31
This review can be cited as:
Last Updated: 19/01/2022