Spaghetti Weed
Liagora farinose
Camp Lulu Key (Rookery Bay Wildlife Refuge; 25.834N, 81.509W)
March 19, 2006
Photograph by Liza Habenicht/Andi Rettger
Descriptive Information
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Field Marks: It can be white, light brown, buff, or pinkish when alive. When dried it is white and hard. It looks like spaghetti, hence its name. This alga is highly branched.
Size: Size varies greatly. It can be up to 5 inches long.
General Habitat: It is found on rocks and dead coral in shallow sheltered areas (Peterson, 138).
Range: Southern United States and the Caribbean.
Field Observations
We observed both live and dry specimens. We found the live specimen washed up on the shore. Apparently the piece of rock that it was attached to broke off and it was washed onto the beach. The dry specimen was found in the debris left on the beach by a storm. The live specimen was brown in color. We also observed another specimen the next morning that was reddish in color. On the brown specimen there were several tips that were clear in color.
References
Kaplan, Eugene H. Peterson Field Guide to Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1988.
Additional Photographs/Videos
Dry Specimen
Red
Tidal Lines
Page developed by Liza Habenicht and Andi Rettger