Part A | 6.3
114 Part A Marine Flora and Fauna
(Namibia, South Africa); NW Atlantic (N and S
Carolina), Caribbean, SW Atlantic (Brazil, Uruguay);
Mediterranean.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antibacterial activity [6.358].
6.3.4 Domain/Empire Eukaryota,
Kingdom Chromista,
Phylum Ochrophyta;
Class Phaeophyceae
(Brown Algae)
Order: Cutleriales
Cutleria multifida (Turner) Greville
Description. Only the morphologically more conspicuous Cutleria-phase is described: thallus erect, light
to yellow-brown, also olive-brown, flattened, membranous, with smooth margins, deeply incised and
repeatedly irregular forking, with linear to wedgeshaped sections, gradually narrowing toward the tip
and dissected apices, fringed by a tuft of hairlike filaments; without stipe, rhizoidal discoid holdfast [6.32].
Habitat. On rocks, usually isolated, sublittoral to
10 m.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (Scandinavia to Canary
Islands); Mediterranean; Indian Ocean; NW Pacific
(Japan); SE Pacific (Chile); Pacific Islands; Australia.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have anticoagulant
activity [6.661].
Zanardinia typus (Nardo) P.C. Silva
Common Name. Penny weed.
Description. Z. typus is a fairly small brown seaweed with flat fronds that may be either round or
fan-like and possibly irregular in shape. The appearance may change with age, varying in color from
olive to dark brown or black and in texture from
smooth to leathery. The edge of the fronds may
be smooth or ruffled, and has a distinct fringe of
hairs [6.662].
Habitat. Found mainly on silty boulders or bedrock,
rarely on living substrata, on sublittoral from shallow
water to about 20 m depth.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (SW Ireland and SW
Britain, Canary Islands); Mediterranean (Italy).
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antifouling
[6.663], antioxidant [6.664], antibacterial and antifungal [6.62, 311, 665], antiviral cytotoxic, and antimitotic [6.62, 507].
Order: Desmarestiales
Desmarestia aculeata (Linnaeus)
J.V. Lamouroux
Description. This species of brown seaweed looks like
a flattened cactus; a flat main axis approximately 2 cm
wide with obvious midrib arises from a discoid holdfast.
Numerous thinner opposite growing flat side branches
are attached to the main axis. D. ligulata grows low to
sublittoral and reaches 80 cm in length. Other species of
flattened Desmarestia have been described for our area
and there is ongoing discussion about the relationships
of these species and their exact number. D. munda is described as growing to over 120 cm with side branches as
wide as the main axis (410 cm), but strictly sublittoral.
Beach Watchers have observed individuals that match
both descriptions and a combination of the two [6.1].
Habitat. On rocks in pools in the lower intertidal; however, mostly sublittoral, to 15 m depth often
abundant.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (Iceland to Morocco); NW
Pacific (Japan); NE Pacific (Alaska to California);
SE Pacific (Chile); Pacific Islands (Hawaii); Australia,
New Zealand.
Uses and Compounds. Source of Laminaran and Alginic acid [6.666].
Desmarestia ligulata (Stackhouse)
J.V. Lamouroux
Description. This species of brown seaweed looks like
a flattened cactus (Fig. 6.40); a flat main axis approximately 2 cm wide with obvious midrib arises from
a discoid holdfast. Numerous thinner opposite growing flat side branches are attached to the main axis.
D. ligulata grows low to sublittoral and reaches 80 cm
in length. Other species of flattened Desmarestia have
been described for our area and there is ongoing discussion about the relationships of these species and their
exact number. D. munda is described as growing to over
120 cm with side branches as wide as the main axis
114 Part A Marine Flora and Fauna
(Namibia, South Africa); NW Atlantic (N and S
Carolina), Caribbean, SW Atlantic (Brazil, Uruguay);
Mediterranean.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antibacterial activity [6.358].
6.3.4 Domain/Empire Eukaryota,
Kingdom Chromista,
Phylum Ochrophyta;
Class Phaeophyceae
(Brown Algae)
Order: Cutleriales
Cutleria multifida (Turner) Greville
Description. Only the morphologically more conspicuous Cutleria-phase is described: thallus erect, light
to yellow-brown, also olive-brown, flattened, membranous, with smooth margins, deeply incised and
repeatedly irregular forking, with linear to wedgeshaped sections, gradually narrowing toward the tip
and dissected apices, fringed by a tuft of hairlike filaments; without stipe, rhizoidal discoid holdfast [6.32].
Habitat. On rocks, usually isolated, sublittoral to
10 m.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (Scandinavia to Canary
Islands); Mediterranean; Indian Ocean; NW Pacific
(Japan); SE Pacific (Chile); Pacific Islands; Australia.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have anticoagulant
activity [6.661].
Zanardinia typus (Nardo) P.C. Silva
Common Name. Penny weed.
Description. Z. typus is a fairly small brown seaweed with flat fronds that may be either round or
fan-like and possibly irregular in shape. The appearance may change with age, varying in color from
olive to dark brown or black and in texture from
smooth to leathery. The edge of the fronds may
be smooth or ruffled, and has a distinct fringe of
hairs [6.662].
Habitat. Found mainly on silty boulders or bedrock,
rarely on living substrata, on sublittoral from shallow
water to about 20 m depth.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (SW Ireland and SW
Britain, Canary Islands); Mediterranean (Italy).
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antifouling
[6.663], antioxidant [6.664], antibacterial and antifungal [6.62, 311, 665], antiviral cytotoxic, and antimitotic [6.62, 507].
Order: Desmarestiales
Desmarestia aculeata (Linnaeus)
J.V. Lamouroux
Description. This species of brown seaweed looks like
a flattened cactus; a flat main axis approximately 2 cm
wide with obvious midrib arises from a discoid holdfast.
Numerous thinner opposite growing flat side branches
are attached to the main axis. D. ligulata grows low to
sublittoral and reaches 80 cm in length. Other species of
flattened Desmarestia have been described for our area
and there is ongoing discussion about the relationships
of these species and their exact number. D. munda is described as growing to over 120 cm with side branches as
wide as the main axis (410 cm), but strictly sublittoral.
Beach Watchers have observed individuals that match
both descriptions and a combination of the two [6.1].
Habitat. On rocks in pools in the lower intertidal; however, mostly sublittoral, to 15 m depth often
abundant.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (Iceland to Morocco); NW
Pacific (Japan); NE Pacific (Alaska to California);
SE Pacific (Chile); Pacific Islands (Hawaii); Australia,
New Zealand.
Uses and Compounds. Source of Laminaran and Alginic acid [6.666].
Desmarestia ligulata (Stackhouse)
J.V. Lamouroux
Description. This species of brown seaweed looks like
a flattened cactus (Fig. 6.40); a flat main axis approximately 2 cm wide with obvious midrib arises from
a discoid holdfast. Numerous thinner opposite growing flat side branches are attached to the main axis.
D. ligulata grows low to sublittoral and reaches 80 cm
in length. Other species of flattened Desmarestia have
been described for our area and there is ongoing discussion about the relationships of these species and their
exact number. D. munda is described as growing to over
120 cm with side branches as wide as the main axis