Phyllospora comosa

Crayweed
Scientific classification
Phylum: Heterokontophyta
Class: Phaeophyceae
Order: Fucales
Family: Seirococcaceae
Genus: Phyllospora
Species: P. comosa
Binomial name
Phyllospora comosa
(Labillardière) C.Agardh, 1839

Crayweed[1] (Phyllospora comosa) is a species of brown algae in the Seirococcaceae family. It is found in the oceans around Australia and New Zealand.[2]

In Australia, Phyllospora comosa is abundant in cooler waters along the south-eastern coastline, around Tasmania and in South Australia. It occurs to a depth of around 5 m (east coast) and farther south to about 3 m, but it can be found on some Tasmanian coasts at 18 m depth. It used to occur around Sydney but has disappeared and now it is being re-established under the Crayweed Restoration Project. It grows up to 2.5 m in length and forms dense, shallow forests. The algae have a central main axis, usually up to 3 m long, which bear many branches, along their length, with closely arranged, leaf-like laterals. Some laterals have conceptacles, in which develop cells which produce sperm and eggs. The strongly seasonal growth of the algae depends on the length of daylight; it occurs from apical cells and is restricted to the top 20–30 cm of the branches.

References

  1. ↑ Gannon, Megan (17 January 2014). "Sydney's Bald Reef Gets a Seaweed Transplant". LiveScience. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  2. ↑ M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. "Phyllospora comosa (Labillardière) C.Agardh". AlgaeBase. National University of Ireland, Galway. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  • Ecology of Australian Temperate Reefs: The Unique South by Scoresby Shepherd
Phyllospora comosa on a beach on the southern coast of NSW

Further reading


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