Scientific name: Palmophyllum crassum
(Naccari) Rabenhorst
Common Name: Fr: Palmophylle; It: Alga velluto
Area type: None in particular
Depth: Down to 120m
Measures: Up to 20cm
How is it like?
Palmophyllum crassum (Naccari) Rabenhorst is a green alga of dark colour, and its name comes from the Greek, that means palm-shaped leaf, and also from the Latin, which means thickness. It is formed by a colony of cells totally adhered to the substratum, and is a bit cartilaginous. It forms smooth and brilliant carpets.
Where does it live?
This alga lives in the infralitoral zone, from 0 to 120 meters of depth. It is present all the year round, in relatively shaded places, covering vertical dark walls. Frequently, you can find Palmophyllum near coralligenous and calcareous algae, living incrusted, and upon Cystoseira.
How does it reproduce?
Asexually by fragmentation and formation of zoospores, and sexually with gametes of the same form and size.
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Plantae, Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae, Phylum: Chlorophyta, Class: Chlorophyceae, Order: Tetrasporales, Family: Palmellopsidaceae, Genus: Palmophyllum
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