Prince Rupert Algae--Genus Blidingia

Prince Rupert Algae -- Blidingia

Blidingia thrives on mudflats wherever it can keep from being swept away y the swift currents.

At first glance it often looks like the fine threads and the thicker thalli are different species as in the above photo. Under the microscope though they begin to look more similar-- left figure. The wider ones can be differentiated from the very common Enteromorpha by their smaller cell sizes (right figure)

Blidingia (right) has small cells (<10 ums) than Enteromorha (left)

There are probably several species of Blidingia involved, but the present nomenclature and identification keys depend upon characters that require culturing plants under laboratory conditions.

There are other algal taxa that form mats on less turbulent sections of mudflats--

Normally small Pilayella thalli (brown, uniseriate alga-left) can often grow to quite noticeable sizes. The opposite is seen for Fucus thallli which form mats of small (several cms.) hardly recognizable plants in quiet mudflat areas (below right).

A = Vaucheria-- a mat of Xanthophyte algae that binds the soil
B= Puccinellia grass (turf)
C= Sedges forming carpets
D= Silverweed beds upper mudflat perennials
E= Algal mats (when they can escape the fast currents)
Mya Arenaria soft shelled Clam (burrowing in mud habitat)