VEGETATIVE FEATURES

Thallus habit: thin lamellae more or less rippled, often horn-like (A); weakly adherent with free margins. Size: diameter up to 2.5cm, 0.3-0.5mm thick. Colour of living specimen: pink violet. Colour of dried specimen: pink to grey.

Medulla: very developed, formed by interspersed cells; rectangular cells: 15-24 (32)µm long x 8-12µm in diameter. Cortex: formed by loosely aggregated filaments, straight, ovoid cells: 15-20µm long x 6-9µm in diameter; divided in different colour and thickness horizontal layers. Epithallial cells: polygonal, 6-10µm in diameter (B). Cell connections: cell fusions.

Conceptacles: large, prominent, very numerous. Gametangial conceptacles: carpogonial, 500-800µm in diameter. Tetra/bisporangial conceptacles: multiporate (C), roof always convex, pores (70-80) surrounded by (5) 6 (7) rosette cells (D), different from surrounding cells; 800-1000µm in diameter x 900µm high.

Habitat: encrusting different substrata. Bathymetric distribution: sublittoral, in deep waters (Adriatic Sea 25m, Aegean Sea up to 35m). Geographic distribution (Babbini & Bressan 1997):

Western Mediterranean Sea (African shores) (B): Algeria; Middle Western Mediterranean Sea (C): France; North Western Mediterranean Sea (D): Spain, France; North Adriatic Sea (E): Croatia; South Eastern Mediterranean Sea (H): Libya; Middle Eastern Mediterranean Sea (L): Greece, Turkey; North Eastern Mediterranean Sea (M): Greece, Turkey.