Wrangelia is a genus of red algae in the family Wrangeliaceae.
The genus was circumscribed by Carl Adolf Agardh in his book Species algarum rite cognitae, cum synonymis, differentiis specificis et descriptionibus succinctis. Voluminis secundi. Sectio prior. pp. [i]-lxxvi, [i]-189. in 1828.
The genus name of Wrangelia is in honour of Fredrik Anton von Wrangel (1786–1842), who was a Danish-Swedish Chamberlain, and also a botanist and alga specialist.
The type species, Wrangelia penicillata is also commonly called Pink bush alga. They form bushy plants, growing up to in height. They have small branches which travel outwards alternately from either side of the main branches in a single plane. They are light pink purple in colour. The species grows in shallow waters to moderate depths, while attached to nearly any hard substrate Generally, the species has 5 whorl branchlets per segment and a cortex that partially or wholly covers their axes.
Distribution
The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution. Such as Wrangelia penicillata can be found off the coast of Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. As well as near Mauritius. It has also been found in the Mediterranean (off the coasts of Spain, France, Corsica, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Turkey, Israel and Libya) as well as in the Adriatic Sea. While Wrangelia gordoniae is found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean. 5 species of Wrangelia are found near Australia. Species of Wrangelia are also found near Puerto Rico, and Brazil.
They can often be found growing on limestone (rock or soils) or be epiphytic on seagrass and seaweeds.
Species
As accepted by WoRMS;
Wrangelia abietina
Wrangelia anastomosans
Wrangelia argus
Wrangelia australis
Wrangelia balakrishnanii
Wrangelia bicuspidata
Wrangelia confluens
Wrangelia dumontii
Wrangelia elegantissima
Wrangelia galeae
Wrangelia globifera
Wrangelia gordoniae
Wrangelia hainanensis
Wrangelia incurva
Wrangelia nigrescens
Wrangelia nobilis
Wrangelia penicillata
Wrangelia penicillta
Wrangelia plebeja
Wrangelia plumosa
Wrangelia purpurifera
Wrangelia sceptrifera
Wrangelia sporigera
Wrangelia sundaralingamii
Wrangelia tagoi
Wrangelia tanegana
Wrangelia tenuis
Wrangelia variabilis
Wrangelia velutina
Wrangelia verticillata
References
Other sources
Dawes, C.J. and A.C. Mathieson (2008). Seaweeds of Florida. University Press of Florida (592 pp). Gray, Samuel Octavius, British Sea-Weeds: An Introduction to the Study of the Marine Algae of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Channel Islands, 1867 Schneider, C. W. (2003). An annotated checklist and bibliography of the marine macroalgae of the Bermuda Islands. Nova Hedwigia, 76(3-4): 275-361 Silva, P. C.; Basson, P. W.; Moe, R. L. (1996). Catalogue of the benthic marine algae of the Indian Ocean. University of California Publications in Botany. 79: 1-1259