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Name derivation:
Bangia : Named for Niels Hoffman Bang, a Danish botanist and squire fuscopurpurea: L. fuscopurpurea: dark purple or brownish purple Common names: black or purple sea hair
Classification:
Bangia Lyngbye 1819; There are 139 species of which 12 have been taxonomically accepted. Order Bangiales; Family Bangiaceae
Morphology:
Filaments are erect, uniseriate to multiseriate, cylindrical, unbranched, or expanded into narrow fronds above, and attached by rhizoidal outgrowths of basal cells. Growth is intercalary; cells are in irregular or regular rows, in a firm gelatinous sheath, lack pit connections, and cylindrical, quadrate, or polyhedral. Each cell has one axial, stellate plastid with a pyrenoid. Alternates with a shell-boring filamentous “conchocelis” stage that is its sporophyte.
Similar genera:
Chroodactylon, Erythrotrichopeltis, Erythrotrichia, Porphyra, Porphyropsis, Porphyrostromium, Sahlingia, Stylonema
Habitat:
Growing in the littoral fringe, particularly during winter- late spring.
References:
Brodie, J. and L. M. Irvine. 2003. Seaweeds of the British Isles, Vol. 1. Rhodophyta, Part 3B. Bangiophycidae. Natural History Museum, London, xiii + 167 pp., 54 figs., 6 tables Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 19 September 2013. Lyngbye, H.C. 1819. Tentamen hydrophytologiae danicae continens omnia hydrophyta cryptogama Daniae, Holsatiae, Faeroae, Islandiae, Groenlandiae hucusque cognita, systematice disposita, descripta et iconibus illustrata, adjectis simul speciebus norvegicis. pp. [i]-xxxii, [1]-248, 70 pls. Hafniae [Copenhagen]: typis Schultzianis, in commissis Librariae Gyldendaliae. Taylor, W. R. 1957. Marine Algae of the Northeastern Coast of North America. Revised edition. Univ. Michigan Press., Ann Arbor, ix + 509 pp. (as B. atropurpurea).