''Gymnogongrus griffithsiae'' is a small uncommon

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 ...

Description

This small

alga 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 mi ...

grows to 5 cm long from a small disc. The fronds are erect, stiff and branch dichotomously in 1 plane, the tips a little flattened. In colour it is dark purplish brown. The structure is multiaxial with elongated cells surrounded cortical cells.Bunker, F.StP, D., Brodie, J.A.Brodie, Maggs, C.A. and Bunker, A.R. 2017. ''Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland Second edition'' Wild Nature Press, Plymouth, UK. Dixon, P.S. and Irvine, L.M. 1977. ''Seaweeds of the British Isles Volume 1 Rhodophyta Part 1 Introduction, Nemaliales, Gigartinales.'' British Museum (Natural History)

Reproduction

Male spermatangia are unknown. Carpotetasporangial outgrowths, that is sporangia containing four spores, by a carposporophyte outgrowth which develops during the year.

Distribution

Found in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

with a southern range, as far north as

Lough Swilly Lough Swilly () in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen, Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glaci ...

. In the north

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

in the Azores in Europe to Massachusetts to Virginia in North America.Morton, O. 2003. The marine macroalgae of County Donegal, Ireland. ''Bulletin of Irish biogeographical Society.'' No. 27

Habitat

The plants grow in rock pools of the lower

littoral 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 ...

and in the upper sublittoral.

Possible confusion

This species is similar to ''

Ahnfeltia plicata ''Ahnfeltia plicata'', the landlady's wig, is a species of red alga in the family Ahnfeltiaceae. It grows in northern parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Description The landlady's wig forms tufted perennial plants with wiry fronds, branching from a ...

'' which usually has wiry irregular branching.

References