Photos / Sounds
What
Genus PyropiaObserver
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, but common on rocks in mid-intertidal.
No holes, highly-ruffled blade. Very thin, suspect one cell thick but didn’t confirm with microscopy. Second photo shows this Pyropia species on the bottom and a different species from the same class (Bangiophyceae) that is also very thin, but more red and less ruffled. Suspect the top species in the second photo is Wildemania.
What
Encrusting Red Algae (Genus Mastocarpus)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
On rock, mid-intertidal to upper-intertidal. Large blades (for a Masto) and no papillae.
What
Japanese Wireweed (Sargassum muticum)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, not common, and this one is dried out and shrunken. The small, unpaired floats (pneumatocysts) add visible though, which is an identifying feature for this species in our area.
Photos / Sounds
What
Sea Brush (Odonthalia floccosa)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, not common.
A red seaweed that appears quite brown, O. floccosa can be variable in morphology and hard to ID. This specimen is branching alternately and the branches lay flat (are in one plane).
Photos / Sounds
What
Gutweed (Ulva intestinalis)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
On pebble in sand. Many such groups of Ulva tubes on rocks along this beach in mid-intertidal.
Photos / Sounds
What
Sea Lettuces (Genus Ulva)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen. Blade darker, almost brownish-black in some parts and clear in the very centre. Not sure why, but saw a few blades on the beach with the black-ish tinge.
What
Ulva fenestrataObserver
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen. Ulva very abundant but saw very few blades with holes like this specimen.
What
Beanweed (Scytosiphon lomentaria)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, not common.
Brown seaweed, hollow tube, unbranched, with frequent constructions. Length ~ 25cm.
Think it fairly likely this is S. lomentaria because of the constrictions and published DNA barcode data for the area.
Photos / Sounds
What
Stringy Acid Kelp (Desmarestia viridis)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, not common.
Brown seaweed, terete branches, highly branched with opposite branching (branches from either side of a main axis).
What
Red Eyelet Silk (Sparlingia pertusa)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, not common.
Highly deteriorated but red colour and numerous circular holes or “eyelets” still visible.
What
Neoagarum fimbriatumObserver
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, uncommon.
Has midrib, many puckered holes over the blade. Body quite deteriorated so colour is off and both stipe and holdfast lost. However, I’ve seen several other specimens at this beach that have the finger-like projections from the stipe or “fimbriations”.
What
Encrusting Red Algae (Genus Mastocarpus)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
On rock, mid-upper intertidal. No papillae on the blades.
Photos / Sounds
What
Turkish Towel (Chondracanthus exasperatus)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, quite common. The papillae (bumps) had cystocarps, often one cystocarps per papillae. With this feature you can distinguish this species from C. corymbiferus.
Photos / Sounds
Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, quite common. Body deteriorated, only a small portion of the blade left.
The papillae (bumps) had cystocarps, often 2-3 cystocarps per papillae. With this feature you can distinguish C. corymbiferus from the similar C. exasperatus.
Photos / Sounds
What
Succulent Seaweed (Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, very common. Branches “pinch in” where they join the main axis, are quite thick and terete. Much more turgid and noodle-like compared to the similar red seaweed Sarcodiotheca (see last photo).
Photos / Sounds
What
Bleached Brunette (Cryptosiphonia woodii)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, very common
Dark reddish brown, almost black
Irregular branching. Branches pinch in where they meet the main axis but the branches are not nearly as turgid and noodle-like as Sarcodiotheca (see last photo).
What
Succulent Seaweed (Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, very common.
Branches “pinch in” where they join the main axis, are quite thick and terete.
Photos / Sounds
Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Drift specimen, very common.
Kye Bay Beach, Comox
Can be identified by the way it branches like a comb, with a series of four branches on one side of the main axis, then the branches switch to the other side of the axis. The first branch in the series of four is like a “thumb” (short, doesn’t itself branch so it looks like a little thumb).
The name in iNat is weird — this should be Plocamium pacificum. Plocamium cartilaginium is a separate species and there is no taxonomic entity called “Plocamium cartilaginium pacificum”.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus CampylaephoraObserver
bclarkstonDescription
Low intertidal, on rock.
Tetrasporophyte phase, tetrasporangia present.
Identified to C. gardneri because there are ecorticate (lacking cortication) region between nodes, branch apices are forcipate (crab-claw-like) and tetrasporangia appear to be in whorls around the main axis.
Taxonomic note: Used to be in the genus Ceramium (Ceramium gardneri), but was recently moved to the genus Campylaephora.
Observer
bclarkstonDescription
On rock, mid-intertidal.
Common, and lower down in intertidal than most Pyropia blades. Didn’t bring this one back to section, but a number of other similar blades were sectioned and had two cell layers (Pyropia has one cell layer).
Photos / Sounds
What
Gutweed (Ulva intestinalis)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
On rock, upper intertidal. Common along base of seawall at Eastern side of Brockton Point lighthouse.
Photos / Sounds
What
Bleached Brunette (Cryptosiphonia woodii)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
On boulder, mid-intertidal. Not common, but when present was abundant (such as on this rock).
What
Encrusting Red Algae (Genus Hildenbrandia)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
On rock, upper intertidal.
Very thin crust, couldn’t indent with a fingernail.
What
Encrusting Red Algae (Genus Mastocarpus)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Attached to small rock, upper intertidal. Both life phases present (upright and crust).
Probably Mastocarpus alaskensis because it is often found higher in the intertidal and has been DNA barcoded at this park, but staying conservative with this ID because Mastocarpus are quite variable.
What
Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Attached to small rock that had washed ashore.
Strong bullations (puckering/wavyness) on the blade.
What
Splendid Iridescent Seaweed (Mazzaella splendens)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Attached to rock, mid intertidal.
Thick, rubbery blade, very stretchy.
No evidence of reproduction.
What
Splendid Iridescent Seaweed (Mazzaella splendens)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Attached to rock, mid intertidal.
Not common, saw maybe six or seven individuals at this tidal height.
Large blade but no evidence of reproduction.
What
Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana)Observer
bclarkstonDescription
Attached to rock, low intertidal.
Has single float and long stipe.
What
Petalonia fasciaObserver
bclarkstonDescription
Attached to rock, mid-intertidal.
Has small discoid holdfast and gradual, wedge-like transition from stipe to blade. Classic features for this species that help distinguish from a kelp.
Observer
bclarkstonDescription
From Lake Louise, Bellingham.
From leaf litter in about 30cm of water at the lake's edge.
Under 400x magnification (compound light microscope).
Attached to a long clear stalk, many of them in the water sample.