Chondracanthus spinosus
Gigartina spinosa
Range and Habitat 3
Range
Chondracanthus spinosus is widely distributed along the shores of Monterey, California (USA) down to Isla Magdalena, Baja California (MEX).
Habitat
C. spinosus is typically found in low-intertidal regions that are exposed to surge and surf.
Morphology and Identification 3
Morphology and Identification
Chondracanthus spinosus has a thin, spiny thalli up to ~ 30 cm and is purplish/black to red in color with a single discoid holdfast. This species is taller in northern regions but does not often get to 30 cm in the southern regions. It has a short stipe with dichotomous or unilaterally divisions near the top of the stipe. Blades are highly variable in color, size, and divisions but are usually coarse and thick. The blades can also be simple and undivided or they can divide in many different ways (irregularly divided upward, pinnately divided, or apices unequally dichotomously divided). Blades have superficial papillae or outgrowths.
Ecology 3
Ecology
Chondracanthus spinosus' innermost cortical cells produce the tetrasporangia that is found in globose to flattened sori on fertile papillae. Spermatangia can be found in irregularly shaped, continuous, and superficial patches of papillae. The spermatangia can sometimes spread to the flat surfaces of the thalli. After fertilization, the cystocarps make prominent bulges on the papillae.
Tetrasporangial and spermatangial papillae are simple, but cystocarpic papillae are divided several times and located along margins or flattened faces of blades. Some papillae are vegetative while others are reproductive.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Brenna Green, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Brenna Green
- (c) Jesse Aragon, all rights reserved, uploaded by Jesse Aragon
- Adapted by B Claire Arre from a work by (c) cbbolanos, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
Range Map
iNat Map
| Common name | Algae, Red Algae |
|---|---|
| Region | Channel Islands North, Channel Islands South, Government Point to Mexico, San Francisco to Government Point |
