Green Algae of Zihuatanejo

GENUS HALIMEDA

• Plants Kingdom (Plantae)

• Green Algae (Phylum Chlorophyta)

• Chlorophycean Green Algae (Class Chlorophyceae)

• Order Cladophorales

• Family Caulerpaceae

• Genus Halimeda

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Genus Halimeda is a genus of marine green algae belonging to the family Halimedaceae within the order Bryopsidales. It is characterized by a siphonous thallus composed of a single multinucleate cell that is divided into a series of flattened or cylindrical segments heavily impregnated with calcium carbonate. These calcified segments give Halimeda a rigid, plant-like appearance and help protect it from herbivory. Species of Halimeda are abundant in tropical and subtropical marine environments, particularly on coral reefs, lagoons, and shallow coastal shelves.