Observaciones de bclarkston

Red crustose seaweed, on small rock, low intertidal. Near waterline at low tide (0.7m that day). Not sure if this is H. rubra or whatever Hildenbrandia species is found in the upper intertidal at this side.

On rock, mid-intertidal. Near Scytosiphon lomentaria, Petalonia fascia, Ulva intestinalis.

Hard to see in photo, but short side branches arranged in a spiral or “winding staircase” way around the main axis. Often easy to confuse this genus with Odonthalia, but the overall stiff (not lax) thallus and short spiraling branches make me think this is most likely N. larix

On small rocks, rocks often buried in sand. Fairly common in mid-intertidal. Often next to Scytosiphon lomentaria.

Can tell this is not a baby kelp by, among other features, the small, discoid holdfast (young Saccharina and most other kelps in area with hapteral/root-like holdfast).

Kye Bay Beach, Comox.

On rock, mid-intertidal (second photo shows location). Fairly common.
Brown seaweed, hollow tube, unbranched, with frequent constructions. Length ~ 30cm for longest tubes.
Think it fairly likely this is S. lomentaria because of the constrictions and published DNA barcode data for the area.

Has visible veins that don’t merge (hard to see except in bleached tissue in first photo).

Really hard to tell Cryptopleura species from Hymenena without tetraaporangia, so this is a provisional name.

Drift specimen, not common.
Kye Bay Beach, Comox.

On small rock, mid-intertidal (last photo shows location on beach).
Filamentous (polysiphonous construction visible with hand lens). Branches lay flat when spread out, helps distinguish from Polysiphonia.

No sign of reproduction.
Kye Bay Beach, Comox BC

Drift specimen, not common.
Brown seaweed, hollow tube, unbranched, with frequent constructions. Length ~ 20cm.
Think it fairly likely this is S. lomentaria because of the constrictions and published DNA barcode data for the area.

Drift specimen, Goose Spit, Comox.
Think this is most likely a young H. nigripes. Has a short flat stipe. Looks quite similar to Saccharina latissima until they’re larger and the thicker, darker blade becomes more obvious (in addition to shorter, flatter stipe). I’ve seen mature H. nigripes here many times over the years.

Drift specimen, Empress Figurehead site, Stanley Park.

Many smaller, more finely-branched species of Callophyllis can’t be distinguished without DNA. A related genus, Euthora, can look similar but (usually) lacks the chains of smaller cells in between the large clear cells of the medulla (middle region of the body). Second photo shows a cross-section of a branch mid-way up the body (stained with aniline blue), third photo shows the same but unstained. The stained photo shows the small chains of cells well because they tend to stain darkly.
The last photo shows a close-up of the branch tips.

Drift specimen, saw several washed ashore.
Large, bright red blade with many small round holes, like Swiss cheese. Characteristic for this species, no other red seaweeds do this. Blade large and divided several times. Holdfast and small stipe present. No sign of reproduction.
Kye Bay Beach, Comox BC

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.

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).