Description

The genus Asparagopsis is a red algae belonging to the family Bonnemaisoniaceae. It has two distinct morphologies during its life cycle: (i) the small, tufted tetrasporophyte (previously referred as Falkenbergia rufolanosa), and (ii) the large gametophyte, composed of bushy, spirally arranged branchlets forming pyramidal tufts. A. armata is morphologically distinct from A. taxiformis in that it possesses long stolons bearing harpoon-like hooks.

Distribution

Asparagopsis taxiformis and A. armata have contrasting geographical distributions. Asparagopsis taxiformis is widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics; and Asparagopsis armata seems to be a temperate species. The former is native from southern Australia and New Zealand. It arrived to Western Europe, northern Mediterranean, Japan and the US West Coast during the 20th century, and it is common nowadays in these temperate seas. It was first recorded in the Azorean Archipelago in 1928, and it is now well established in the archipelago.

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see Andreakis et al. 2004 (Eur. J. Phycol., 39: 273 – 283)