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Sausage Weed

Splachnidium rugosum

Description:

Sausage weed is a distinctive algae with short, swollen stems (8 - 20 cm) similar in appearance to fingers. They are filled with gelatinous material. It looks like a clump of small, wrinkled sausages. Small pores on the outside surface lead to the reproductive chambers. There is a small, disk-shaped, rhizoidal holdfast. It appears to be like a small Hormosera, but lacks the joints. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/214... Ranges from Newcastle in New South Wales, around Australia's southern shores to Point Sinclair in South Australia, including Tasmania. Also South Africa, New Zealand, and the more northerly of the sub-antarctic islands. PS: An interesting reference that describes the characteristics and habitat of macroalgae, including red algae.... https://thefishsite.com/articles/macroal...

Habitat:

Spotted in a small rock pool at North Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast. Occurs at mid-tidal levels on moderate to rough-water coasts. It is seen during the summer months in NSW, but is found all year on southern shores.

Notes:

This was the only specimen that caught my eye, in a small but interesting rock pool. Amongst other species of algae that I don't yet recognise, I could instantly identify Sydney rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata), wavy top periwinkles (Austrocochlea concamerata), black nerites (Nerita atramentosa), zebra top periwinkles (Austrocochlea porcata), globe algae (Colpomenia sinuosa), and most likely blue-grey periwinkles (Austrolittorina unifasciata). There was a lot of sand in most of the rock pools due to recent heavy surf from storms.

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Neil Ross
Spotted by
Neil Ross

North Avoca, New South Wales, Australia

Spotted on May 19, 2016
Submitted on May 29, 2016

Nearby Spottings

Hairy Mussel Sydney Rock Oyster Mulberry Whelk Common Coral Weed

Reference

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