''Caulerpa sedoides'', also known as mini-grapes or bubble caulerpa, is a species of

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

in the ''

Caulerpaceae Caulerpaceae is a family of green algae in the order Bryopsidales Bryopsidales is an order of green algae, in the class Ulvophyceae. Characteristics The thallus is filamentous and much branched and may be packed into a mass. It is coenocytic ...

'' family native to Australia.

Description

The light to medium green delicate alga or seaweed with a

thallus Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms wer ...

that grows to a size of around . It has small elongated ovoid shaped beads arranged loosely along the main

stolon In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...

or axis. The stolon is often branched and arises from rhizomes or running stolons) that are usually fixed to rocky surfaces in a marine environment.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the botanist

Carl Adolph Agardh Carl Adolph Agardh (23 January 1785 in Båstad, Sweden – 28 January 1859 in Karlstad) was a Swedish botanist specializing in algae, who was eventually appointed bishop of Karlstad. Biography In 1807 he was appointed teacher of mathematics a ...

in 1817 as part of the work ''Synopsis algarum Scandinaviae, adjecta dispositione universali algarum''. It was once known as ''Caulerpa germinata''.

Distribution

It is found mostly in the waters of southern Australia with its range extending from southern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Victoria,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and the coast of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. In Western Australia, this species is found along the coast in the

Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

region and along much of the southern coastline to east of Esperance. ''C. sedoides'' is also found in waters around

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, some

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. The seaweed with the intertwined runners and is often found in rock pools around the low tide level in rough water areas up to a depth of .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q41804900 sedoides Species described in 1817