Stypopodium zonale
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| Stypopodium zonale | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | SAR |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Phylum: | Gyrista |
| Subphylum: | Ochrophytina |
| Class: | Phaeophyceae |
| Order: | Dictyotales |
| Family: | Dictyotaceae |
| Genus: | Stypopodium |
| Species: | S. zonale |
| Binomial name | |
| Stypopodium zonale | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Stypopodium zonale is a species of thalloid brown alga in the family Dictyotaceae. It is found in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea and in various other tropical and sub-tropical seas around the world.
Stypopodium zonale is a golden brown or olive-coloured seaweed growing to a length of about 40 centimetres (16 in). It has smooth, broad blades with squared-off ends that grow in a fan shape. As the blade gets bigger it splits into segments 1 to 5 centimetres (0.39 to 1.97 in) wide. The larger the plant, the greater the degree of splitting. Bands of different coloured material develop parallel to the growing edge including an iridescent green band that appears every few centimetres. This gives the seaweed an attractive zoned appearance. It is attached to rock by a rhizoidal holdfast and often forms dense beds, the leathery but flexible fronds swaying with the movement of the surrounding water.[2]