Chondrus crispus Stackhouse 1797
Current name:
Chondrus crispus Stackhouse
Finavarra, Co. Clare, Ireland; drying plants ("Carrageen Moss") in field in 1970sGerald Blunden (gerald.blunden@port.ac.uk)
Publication Details
Chondrus crispus Stackhouse 1797: xxiv
Published in: Stackhouse, J. (1797). Nereis britannica; continens species omnes fucorum in insulis britannicis crescentium: descriptione latine et anglico, necnon iconibus ad vivum depictis... Fasc. 2. pp. ix-xxiv, 31-70, pls IX-XIII. Bathoniae [Bath] & Londini [London]: S. Hazard; J. White.
Original description: 
Type Species
This is the type species (lectotype) of the genus Chondrus.
Status of Name
This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.
Type Information
Type locality: N. Atlantic Ocean; (Silva & al. 1996: 898) Holotype: LINN; 1274.68 (Dixon & Irvine 1977: 234)
Origin of Species Name
Adjective (Latin), crisped, irregularly waved and twisted (Stearn 1983).
General Environment
This is a marine species.
Description
Cartilaginous, dark purplish-red, red, yellowish or greenish fronds to 150 mm high, gametophyte plants are often iridescent under water when in good condition. Stipe compressed, narrow, expanding gradually to a flat, repeatedly dichotomously branched frond, in tufts from a discoid holdfast. Axils rounded, apices blunt or subacute, frond thicker in centre than margins. Very variable in breadth of segments. Very variable in branching, colour and thickness.
Habitat
On rocks, lower intertidal and shallow subtidal, in pools in the mid-intertidal in some locations; widely distributed in the north western and north eastern Atlantic, often abundant and zone-forming at low water.
Key Characteristics
Regular dichotomous branching; cartilaginous feel to the fronds; absence of papillate cystocarps and channeling.
Similar Species
Mastocarpus stellatus is frequently collected with Chondrus crispus and sold as a mixture under the name Carrageen or Irish Moss.
Created: 30 July 1999 by M.D. Guiry.
Last updated: 17 February 2020
Verification of Data
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Nomenclatural note
Replacement name for Fucus crispus Linnaeus, 1767, nom. illeg., priority for Fucus crispus Hudson, 1762 (Art. 58.1). - (18 November 2015) - M.D. Guiry
Taxonomic note
John et al. (2004) treat Chondrus crispus var. lonchophorus as a synonym of Chondrus crispus var. crispus but this rquires further study. - (11 May 2006) - G.M. Guiry
Distributional note
The occurrence of this species in the Canary islands is doubtful; see comments in Price et al. (1986). Skottsberg (1953: 545, footnote) was of the opinion, certainly correct, that a record from the Antarctic Peninsula is not this species (see Papenfuss, 1964: 40). John et al. (2004) note that all records are considered doubtful by Price et al. (1986) and Haroun et al. (2002). - (11 May 2006) - G.M. Guiry
Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=19519
Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 17 February 2020. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 10 February 2025
