CHLOROPHYTA : Bryopsidales : BryopsidaceaeGREEN ALGAE

Bryopsis hypnoides Lamouroux


Description: Thallus small, erect to 10 (15) cms long branches arranged irregularly on main axes. Attached by creeping basal filaments.

Habitat: Not uncommon. Generally epilithic in tide pools of the lower littoral in shade and in the sublittoral.

Distribution: British Isles, generally distributed around the coasts. Europe: Mediterranean, Portugal and Spain, Netherlands and Norway. Atlantic coast of North America: Canada, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Long Island, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Further afield: the Canary Islands, West Indies, Bermuda, Jamaica, California and South Africa.

Similar Species: Bryopsis plumosa is similar but has with distichous branching.

Key Identification Features:

  • Irregular branching on a central axis.

Distribution Map from NBN: Bryopsis hypnoides at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Bryopsis hypnoides at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Bryopsis hypnoides at World Register of Marine Species.

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 Morton, O., Keatley, L., Morrow, C.C. & Picton, B.E. (2026). Bryopsis hypnoides. Lamouroux. [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland.
https://habitas.org/mbdp/species.php?item=ZS3890. Accessed on 2026-11-01