Red algae - Lithophyllum stictiforme
This red alga, Lithophyllum stictiforme, is commonly called Marine Lichen and obviously has nothing to do with lichens, although I remember them for its limestone and rather rigid structure. Lithophyllum stictiforme Alga corallina Red algae intotheblue.it
These are red calcareous encrusting algae that are part of the coralligenous building organisms as they possess a skeleton of inorganic material that remains on the rocks and on the skeletons of other marine species after the death of the plants. These algae can occasionally be observed near the surface, with reduced and encrusting forms, but are much much larger and more frequent starting from 20 meters deep up to over 70 meters.
Illuminated by the artificial light of the lamps, they appear a beautiful deep pink color, with suspended fronds that can reach up to 30 centimeters in diameter.
https://cinqueterre.macisteweb.com/dborganismi/plomino_documents/5fb5ad80c77a40f59890aa6e2f4d2ecb
The marine lichen belongs to the Vegetable Kingdom and to the Red Algae division. Here we will mean the set of life forms (in the case only algae and plants) capable of autonomously producing (photosynthesis) organic substances. Our first subdivision of convenience differentiates two superphilums (which in the plant world are called superdivisions);
algae
– brown algae division
– red algae division
– green algae division
– division pelagoficee algae
Algae are marine plants equipped with chlorophyll with a complex and undifferentiated body (in which stem, roots and leaves, flowers and fruits are not distinguished). A summary subdivision among the algae, differentiates the species of algae by the color of their thallus. The red algae (rhodophytes) have various shades of color, always tending to red from bright to dark with a branched thallus in a mostly arborescent form.
Many species are characterized by limestone branches being the thallus impregnated with calcium carbonate. Red algae easily tolerate poor lighting conditions and we will therefore be able to find them both in relatively shallow waters and, and predominantly in deep waters.
https://www.biologiamarina.org/lichene-marino/
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