Hypnea Indica; Hypnea Bullata: Two new species of seaweed
Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III – Biodiversity
In news
Two new species of seaweed have been discovered by a group of marine biologists from Central University of Punjab, Bathinda.
Key takeaways
Named Hypnea indica (after India) and Hypnea bullata (because of the blisterlike marks on its body – bullate), the seaweeds are part of the genus Hypnea or red seaweeds.
Hypnea indica was discovered in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Somnath Pathan and Sivrajpur in Gujarat.
Hypnea bullata was discovered from Kanyakumari and Diu island of Daman and Diu.
They grow in the intertidal regions of the coast, namely the area that is submerged during the high tide and exposed during low tides.
The genus Hypnea consists of calcareous, erect, branched red seaweeds.
