Watercress alga
Halimeda opuntia
(Linnaeus) Lamouroux, 1812
Description:
Thick, profusely branched clumps of rounded three-lobed or ribbed leaf-like segments, between 10 and 25 cm in height. The branches are numerous and are in different planes, rather than nearly in a single plane as some other species are. This alga can cover larger areas with a dense mat so that individual plants are indistinguishable.
Habitat:
They grow in shallow depressions, cracks and crevices, between hard corals and other somewhat protected areas of the reef, down to 55 m.
Distribution:
South Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean.