If you're interested in using any of these photographs or this content in any way, please contact me. Send an e-mail to naturalhistoryphotos(at)gmail.com. Thanks!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

The Bearded One


Intriguing, isn't it?  Pretty little tufts of narrow filaments at intervals along the branch.

Here's a slightly zoomed out view:


Meet Dasya binghamiae (formerly Pogonophorella californica — quite a name change!).  Not only is this a fun seaweed, but this individual represents a new record for Sonoma County, and the northernmost record of this species in California!

Congratulations are due to Peter Connors for noticing a seaweed that looked "different."  It was growing on the South Jetty (at the entrance to Bodega Harbor).  Although it had been documented in Marin County — near the Estero de San Antonio in 1912 and in Tomales Bay in 1995 — it hadn't been observed in Sonoma County until 18 June 2015.


I am familiar with another species of Dasya from the East Coast, whose common name is Chenille Weed.  I haven't seen a common name for Dasya binghamiae.  How about Tufted Dasya?

Its former name, Pogonophorella, basically means "a bearer of beards," presumably for all of those little tufts.  So I suppose another possible name could be Bearded Dasya.  Which name do you like?  Can you come up with something better?

No comments: