''Flabellia'' is a genus of

green algae The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alga as ...

in the family

Halimedaceae Halimedaceae are a family of green algae The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) ...

. ''Flabellaria'' is an accepted synonym of this genus. It is a monotypic genus and ''Flabellia petiolata'' is the only species; it is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Distribution and habitat

''Flabellia petiolata'' is native to the Mediterranean Sea and also occurs in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

and

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

. It grows in shallow waters with soft sediment. In 2020 it was recorded for the first time in southern England, a location much further north than southern Spain, its previous northern limit. The English population has been confirmed by morphological and molecular data to be identical with the Mediterranean population. Researchers are questioning whether this is a relict species, previously overlooked, or a genuine expansion of the range of the alga.

References

Bryopsidales genera Bryopsidales Monotypic algae genera Taxa named by Ludwig Reichenbach {{green algae-stub