Baggy Seaweed

Appearance

Thalli are to 4 cm high, pinkish-red in colour and composed of 4-5 gelatinous lobes, which are attached to a conspicuously cartilaginous, annulate stalk. The stalk is usually simple but may branch twice in well-developed specimens. The lobes are undivided and are broadly rounded, measuring approximately 1 cm in diameter and 3 cm in length. The thallus is multiaxial, composed of a filamentous medulla and cortex embedded in a gelatinous matrix. The distal ends of the cortical filaments produce the gelatinous matrix.

Distribution

Indian Ocean: In Tanzania and South Africa, east to Western Australia, including Seychelles; Pacific Ocean: In Japan and Philippines, including the South China Sea, south to Queensland, Australia east, to French Polynesia, including Micronesia, Fiji and Hawaiian Islands.

Status

Not Evaluated

Behavior

Growing epilithically