''Lithothamnion glaciale'' is the botanical name for a species of multicellular red algae of the genus ''

Lithothamnion ''Lithothamnion'' is a genus of thalloid red alga comprising 103 species. Its members are known by a number of common names.Recorded common names are griuán, maërl, punalevä-suku, stenhinna and maerl. The monomerous, crustose thalli are compos ...

'', subfamily

Melobesioideae The Melobesioideae are a subfamily of Corallinacean Coralline algae with multiporate conceptacle Conceptacles are specialized cavities of marine and freshwater algae that contain the reproductive organs. They are situated in the receptacle and ...

Description

''Lithothamnion glaciale'' grows as an encrusting, chalky thallus, deep reddish in colour and up to 20cm in diameter and 4mm thick. It develops simple cylindrical branches growing to 15mm long and 4mm in diameter.Irvine, L.M. and Chamberlain, Y.M.1994. ''Seaweeds of the British Isles Volume 1 Rhodophyta Part 2B Corallinales, Hildenbrandiales''. The Natural History Museum, London.Morton, O. 1994. ''Marine Algae of Northern Ireland''. Pl 12 Ulster Museum, Belfast.

Reproduction

These algae are dioecious, with domed spermatangial conceptacles, carpogonial conceptacles and carposporangial conceptacles.

Habitat

Epilithic on rock in low-littoral pools and in the sublittoral to 34m.

References

Corallinaceae {{Rhodophyta-stub