Caulerpa chemnitzia (Esper) J.V. Lamouroux, 1809


Division     Chlorophyta
Class     Ulvophyceae
Order     Acrosiphoniales
Family    Acrosiphoniaceae
Basionym     Fucus chemnitzia Esper
SynonymAhnfeldtia chemnitzia (Esper) Trevisan , Chauvinia chemnitzia (Esper) Kützing, Caulerpa racemosa var. chemnitzia (Esper) Weber Bosse, Caulerpa peltata J.V.Lamouroux , Ahnfeldtia peltata (J.V.Lamouroux) Trevisan, Chauvinia laetevirens (Montagne) Trevisan, Chauvinia peltata (J.V.Lamouroux) Kützing, Caulerpa chemnitzia var. peltata (J.V.Lamouroux) Zanardini, Caulerpa chemnitzia var. occidentalis J.Agardh, Chauvinia imbricata Kjellman, Caulerpa imbricata G.Murray, Caulerpa racemosa var. laetevirens (Montagne) Weber Bosse, Caulerpa peltata f. imbricata (G.Murray) Weber Bosse, Caulerpa peltata var. typica Weber Bosse, Caulerpa racemosa var. occidentalis, (J.Agardh) Børgesen, Caulerpa racemosa var. peltata (J.V.Lamouroux) Eubank, Caulerpa racemosa var. imbricata (Kjellman) Eubank, Caulerpa racemosa var. imbricata (G.Murray) Eubank, Caulerpa racemosa f. occidentalis (J.Agardh) Nizamuddin, Caulerpa occidentalis (J.Agardh) Jaasund

    Thalli mostly growing in very dense bluish green clumps, with intricated fleshy stolons and a stiff-fleshy texture; erect branches very densely set, in such a way that they are contiguous, 1-2 (-3) cm high, unbranched, completely and very densely set by radially placed side branchlets of similar morphology over the whole length of the rachis which is not visible in these smaller specimens; plants of some collections are less dense and taller (3-5 cm high), the rachis sometimes branched once, with less densely placed side branchlets in the taller specimens, where the rachis becomes visible; side branchlets roughly trumpet-shaped, upwardly directed, shortly stalked, the inflated apical part being typically asymmetrically (tilted apically) compressed (turbinate with a convex tip) to almost complanate (peltate); light green.


Ecology

Growing on horizontal substrate (coral rubble and on rocks) at shallow depth under low tide level.


Distribution in India

Karnataka (Yadav & Palanisamy 2020), Tamil Nadu.