| Gracilariaceae () |
| 10 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
|
sessile; marine; depth range 1 - 60 m |
| Indian Ocean: from the Arabian Sea, including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, south to South Africa, including Aldabra Islands, Seychelles, Reunion and Madagascar, east to Sri Lanka, including Laccadive Islands, south to Western Australia, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Pacific Ocean: from China to the South China Sea, south to Queensland, Australia, including Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands and Fiji, and east to the Hawaiian Islands. |
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Two forms are distinguished, depending on the type of habitat. In areas where the water is clear, calm, and exposed to full sunlight, the thalli are bright orange with branching dichotomous to tetrachotomous divaricate; branches distinctly divided into terete, subclavate to clavate segments, swollen at the distal end and constricted at the base. In areas where the water is turbid and the movement is moderate to strong, thalli are dark green to greenish brown, forming prostrate clumps on the substrate; branching irregularly subdichotomous to trichotomous to alternate; branches not distinctly divided into clavate segments except at the terminal portions and are shorter. Thalli up to 8 cm in height (Ref. 80758). |
| Used for human consumption and as a source of agar, but it contains poor quality agar; also used as manure for coconuts and cof fee bushes in Hainan, India, and Sri Lanka (Ref 80758). Attached to solid substrates such as coral fragments, shells, pebbles, stones, rocks, gravel, or mangrove roots, in clear to turbid waters. Usually found in protected portions of reef flats not exposed to the full impact of wave action (Ref. 80758). |
|
Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
|
| harmless |
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