Phycodrys rubens (Linnaeus) Batters

Phycodrys rubens

Description: Thallus a group of blades up to 20 cms long attached by a single stipe, each blade with a prominent midrib and paired lateral veins. Monostromic laminae with dentate margins which may extend into long fringes.

Habitat: Epilithic and epiphytic in rock pools of the low-littoral into the sublittoral to 30 m. Commonly found epiphytic on the stipes of Laminaria hyperborea.

Distribution: Generally distributed around the British Isles including the Shetlands and the Channel Islands. Europe: Portugal, Spain, France, Denmark, Germany in the Baltic Sea, Sweden, Norway, Faroes, Spitzbergen and Iceland. Greenland. Atlantic coast of North America: Canada, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey. Further afield: Arctic Sea including the American Arctic Sea and Baffin Bay.

Similar Species: Delesseria sanguinea is similar but easily distinguished from Phycodrys rubens which has a dentate or lobed margin.

Key Identification Features:

• Blades like oak leaves in shape.

Distribution Map: NBN map : National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

WoRMS: Species record : World Register of Marine Species.

iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database