Harpoon Weed
Harpoon weed (Asparagopsis armata) is a pink-red seaweed with barbed branches that cling to other algae and to fishing nets like harpoons. Originally from Australia and New Zealand, it has invaded the Mediterranean and the northeastern Atlantic.
Harpoon weed (Asparagopsis armata) is a pink-red seaweed with barbed branches that cling to other algae and to fishing nets like harpoons. Originally from Australia and New Zealand, it has invaded the Mediterranean and the northeastern Atlantic.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Harpoon Weed in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Diaphoretickes lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Barbs That Hitch a Ride
Special hooked branches act like grappling hooks, anchoring the alga to other seaweeds and objects. The invader spreads on boats and drifting fragments.
A Chemical Defense
The alga makes halogenated compounds such as bromoform, which deter grazers and kill microbes. These chemicals are the key to its use in reducing methane. See Red Sea Plume.
Two Life Stages
The alga alternates between a large feathery form and a tiny tufted form (formerly named Falkenbergia), which were once thought to be separate species.
Harpoon Weed at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Asparagopsis armata |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Rhodophyta |
| Class | Florideophyceae |
| Order | Bonnemaisoniales |
| Family | Bonnemaisoniaceae |
| Field Guide group | Diaphoretickes: Plants & Algae |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Pink feathery seaweed tufts with barbed, harpoon-like branches that hook onto other algae; an invader of European coasts. |
| Group | Red algae |
| Native range | Australia and New Zealand |