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Service Notice

The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system and census were set to read-only mode on 1 October 2025. Taxonomic updates published since this time are not being reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or Western Australia’s taxonomic names census (Nomos). Conservation listings displayed on Florabase may also be out of date. Please refer to DBCA’s Threatened species and communities webpage for the most recent Threatened and Priority Flora List, noting that recent taxonomic updates are similarly not included. Our database migration is moving to a staging phase. We thank you for your patience as we ensure the integrity of our biodiversity data, develop new workflows, and train staff to use the new systems. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

The notice period started at 12:00 pm on Wednesday, 1 October 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Friday, 1 January 2027 +08:00.

Caulerpa papillosa J.Agardh

Reference
Acta Univ.Lund. 42 (1873)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Stolon slender to moderate, 0.7–2 mm in diameter, naked, epilithic. Erect fronds medium to dark green, with simple or branched axes, usually 4–16 cm high and 2–4(–5) mm across, with axes 1–1.5 mm in diameter densely covered to their bases by vesiculate ramuli. Ramuli 0.7–1.5 mm long, with a lower, sub-terete pedicel 300–800 µm long and 200–300 µm in diameter, then constricted and bearing a subspherical to ovoid-pyriform upper part (250–)350–500(–700) µm in diameter.

Distribution. From Middle I., Recherche Archipelago, W. Aust., to Walkerville, Vic., and northern Tas.

Habitat. In shaded rock pools and the uppermost sublittoral on rough-water coasts, recorded to 12 m deep.

[After Womersley, Mar. Benthic Fl. Southern Australia I: 270 (1984)]

John Huisman & Cheryl Parker, 3 August 2021

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains.
IBRA Subregions
Merredin, Recherche.
IMCRA Regions
Central West Coast, Leeuwin-Naturaliste, Shark Bay, WA South Coast.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Carnarvon, Cockburn, Esperance, Irwin, Morawa, Rockingham, Shark Bay, Wanneroo.