Collected these specimens from the surface of the rocky intertidal area
first may be Dyctiota dichotoma
second was the Centroceras (degraded pigments)
fourth You can investigate the genera of articulate corallinaceae (amphiroa coralina or jania genus).
fifth image has appearance of the genus Hypnea
regards
first may be Dyctiota dichotoma
second was the Centroceras (degraded pigments)
fourth may be gracillaria (specimen not clear )
fifth image has appearance of the genus Hypnea
regards
It is hard to tell from the photos, but the first two I agree with the others that have left comments. The first is a Dyctiota and the second is a Centroceras.
First I wouldn't go further than Dictyota sp. I don't think is D. dichotoma.
Second, Centroceras, could be, with a close-up picture it would be very easy to confirm.
Third is a mix of so much, but if it is the same as the fourth, where was this Corallinaceae sample taken? For sure, not Amphiroa, Jania or Gracilaria, but it could be Corallina or other genera. Depending where it was taken, the present similar genera we should compare with, are different.
Fifth, could easily be Hypnea, yes.
This is not the first time we have that kind of requests and it is always the same answer:
- If a general picture is instructive, we need more details pictures (the specimen are seen from too far away); in particular, details of reproductive organs and other morphological characteristics are very important to arrive at a proper identification.
- Could you not find a key (especially an illustrated one) for your region of collection?
- Identifying a species correctly is often linked to identifying the taxonomic/systematics expert(s) for the region of collection, who is familiar with the local flora, instead of often getting guesstimates from well-intentioned, but from all over the world, people who rarely can give an authoritative identification.
- Do not forget that many species of seaweeds are highly morphologically plastic and that you may need molecular tools to arrive at the proper identification.
I agree with what seems to be the general consensus here: the first is probably a Dictyota sp., whether it is dichotoma needs verification (it seems a bit too coarse for dichotoma, but then again plasticity is high in most macroalgae!).
The fourth seems to be an articulated coralline, so I would dig into the common genera first (such as Corallina and Jania).
The last one most certainly is a Hypnea sp., which is a fairly vast genus with many species being highly plastic (and in some cases many varieties per species), but you should be able to identify which species are the most common in your region, and narrow it down from there.
Hope this helps a bit!
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