Encrusting Fan-Leaf Alga - Lobophora variegata

''Lobophora variegata'' is a species of small thalloid brown alga which grows intertidally or in shallow water in tropical and warm temperate seas. It has three basic forms, being sometimes ruffled, sometimes reclining and sometimes encrusting, and each form is typically found in a different habitat. This seaweed occurs worldwide. It is the type species of the genus ''Lobophora'', the type locality being the Antilles in the West Indies.