''Codium bursa'' is a green marine
algae
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
of medium size.
Description
''Codium bursa'' is a marine alga growing to 30 cm across. It generally appears as a spongy sphere of
utricles which at the surface form a cortex. It is composed of loosely packed filaments which at the surface form a cortex of utricles which are single celled bladder-like or club-shaped structures.
[holdfast of filaments.][Bunker, F.StP.D, Brodie, J.A., Maggs, C.A. and Bunker, A.R.2017. ''Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.'' Second edition. Wild Nature Press, Plymouth.UK.]
Distribution
Rare in the British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
, the most recent record was in 1977 from County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
.[Morton, O. 1978. Some interesting records of algae from Ireland. ''Irish Naturalists' Journal'' 19: 240 - 242] also recorded from other countries in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
Habitat
''Codium bursa'' grows sublittoral
The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...
ly attached to rock to 10 m deep.
See also
* Marimo
Marimo (also known as Cladophora ball, moss ball, or lake ball) is a rare growth form of ''Aegagropila linnaei'' (a species of filamentous green algae) in which the algae grow into large green balls with a velvety appearance.
The species can be ...
, a round, freshwater algae
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2981701
bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...