|
How does it look like?
Alga that forms dense masses of 2.5 to 8 centimeters high. Erect and calcified, with a tubular or slightly flattened vegetative body, arborescent, articulated and very dichotomously branched (each axis is divided into two equal parts) and regularly. The twigs are arranged in different planes of space and have a diameter between 0.2 and 0.8 millimeters, although those closest to the base are always thicker than those at the ends. It is fixed to the substrate by a broad disk. Due to calcification, the branches are breakable. Coloration very variable depending on the environment in which it is found: in places with a lot of waves it has a whitish color, but it can also be pink and red to dark violet. With the naked eye you can see the reproductive structures that are located in the most extreme twigs of the algae. They are rounded and do not have a foot, but are attached directly to the branch.
Where does it live?
From the lower limit of low tide to several meters deep (approximately 5 meters). On rocky bottoms, illuminated, calm or not very shaken. Often lives on other algae, especially attached to Lithophyllum incrustans Philippi. Widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean and frequent in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
When can it be found?
Species present throughout the year.
How does it reproduce?
It has a complex cycle with three life forms, one of which is always parasitic on the individual from which it originates.
Is a confusion possble?
This genus has two species in the Mediterranean that are difficult to distinguish from each other. To distinguish between them, it is necessary to look at where they live: Amphiroa rigida J.V. Lamouroux colonizes places with very sunny shallow waters. Amphiroa cryptarthrodia Zanardini, on the other hand, lives in shady areas near the coast.
Taxonomy
Empire: Eukaryota, Kingdom: Plantae, Subkingdom: Biliphyta, Division: Rhodophyta, Subdivision: Rhodophytina, Class: Florideophyceae, Subclass: Corallinophycidae, Order: Corallinales, Family: Corallinaceae, Subfamily: Amphiroideae, Genus: Amphiroa |
