''Neorhodomela larix'', commonly known as black pine, is a species of

red algae Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. The majority ...

native to coastal areas of the North Pacific, from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Ameri ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It forms dense mats on semi-exposed rocks in intertidal areas. The

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 ...

is dark brown to black in color with whorled branches resembling a bottlebrush.

Ecology

The

brown alga Brown algae (singular: alga), comprising the class (biology), class Phaeophyceae, are a large group of multicellular algae, including many seaweeds located in colder waters within the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the ...

Soranthera ulvoidea ''Soranthera ulvoidea'', sometimes called the studded sea balloon, is a species of brown algae in the family Chordariaceae. It is the only species in the monotypic taxon, monotypic genus ''Soranthera''. The genus, generic name ''Soranthera'' is f ...

'' is commonly found as an

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

on '' Neorhodomela'' species, especially ''N. larix'' Postels, A. & Ruprecht, F. (1840). pp. -vi iv, 1-28 -2, index atin: iv 22, -2, index 40 pls. Petropoli t. Petersburg Typis Eduardi Pratz. Isabella Abbott notes that individuals of '' Soranthera'' growing on ''Neorhodomela'' species as a host differ from those found on other hosts by tending to be attached more broadly, thick walled, spherical, and occurring primarily in northern or central California.

References

External links

''Neorhodomela larix''
at University of California, Santa Cruz
''Neorhodomela larix''
at AlgaeBase. Includes photo gallery Rhodomelaceae {{Rhodophyta-stub