Neptune's Necklace

Description:

Neptune's necklace is a distinctive algae made up of strings of hollow, water-filled, round or oval-shaped beads joined together by a short stalk. The fronds may be between 10-30 cm long, and the beads may be 15 mm in diameter. Many pores cover the outside surface of each bead, forming a rough surface. Within these pores are the reproductive cells. Other common names include: sea grapes, Neptune's pearls, and bubbleweed. Hormosira banksii is a native Australian species, and ranges from Port Macquarie in northern New South Wales, around southern Australia to King George Sound in Western Australia, and also in New Zealand. PS: An interesting reference that describes the characteristics and habitat of macroalgae.... https://thefishsite.com/articles/macroal...

Habitat:

Spotted in a small rock pool at North Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast. This section of the rock platform is usually difficult to access due to heavy surf. Often occurs in vast colonies forming a thick covering over most of the rock surface at mid-tide levels down to the galeolaria zone on some rocky shores.

Notes:

The larger mollusc species I instantly recognised with this spotting were wavy top periwinkles (Austrocochlea concamerata), black nerites (Nerita atramentosa), and most likely blue-grey periwinkles (Austrolittorina unifasciata).