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Caulerpa taxifolia (Vahl) C.Agardh var. taxifolia

Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Thallus pale green, spreading laterally to 20 cm, with smooth terete stolons 0.8–2.5 mm diam. Rachis 5–8 cm tall, compressed, unbranched or sparingly branched. Ramuli distichous, compressed, 5–9 mm long, simple, falcate, straight or curved upwards, slightly constricted at the base and with pointed apices, with or without a gap between adjacent ramuli.

Distribution. Widely distributed in tropical seas. Invasive in southern Australia (S.A. and N.S.W.), the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands.

Habitat. Epilithic or growing on sand.

[After Belton, Huisman & Gurgel, Algae of Australia: Mar. Benthic Algae of North-western Australia, 1. Green and Brown Algae 96 (2015)]

John Huisman and Cheryl Parker, 3 August 2021

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Dampierland.
IBRA Subregions
Pindanland.
IMCRA Regions
Kimberley, Ningaloo, Pilbara (nearshore).
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Broome, Carnarvon, Derby-West Kimberley, Karratha.