Wrangelia


Wrangelia is a genus of red algae in the family Wrangeliaceae.
The genus was circumscribed by Carl Adolf Agardh in his book Species algarum rite cognitae, cum synonymis, differentiis specificis et descriptionibus succinctis. Voluminis secundi. Sectio prior. pp. -lxxvi, -189. in 1828.
The genus name of Wrangelia is in honour of Fredrik Anton von Wrangel, who was a Danish-Swedish Chamberlain, and also a botanist and alga specialist.
The type species, Wrangelia penicillata is also commonly called Pink bush alga. They form bushy plants, growing up to in height. They have small branches which travel outwards alternately from either side of the main branches in a single plane. They are light pink purple in colour. The species grows in shallow waters to moderate depths, while attached to nearly any hard substrate
Generally, the species has 5 whorl branchlets per segment and a cortex that partially or wholly covers their axes.

Distribution

The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution. Such as Wrangelia penicillata can be found off the coast of Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. As well as near Mauritius. It has also been found in the Mediterranean as well as in the Adriatic Sea.
While Wrangelia gordoniae is found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean. 5 species of Wrangelia are found near Australia. Species of Wrangelia are also found near Puerto Rico, and Brazil.
They can often be found growing on limestone or be epiphytic on seagrass and seaweeds.

Species

As accepted by WoRMS;