Desmarestia tropica
| Desmarestia tropica | |
|---|---|
| Desmarestia tropica A small portion of a branch tip to show the serration, the young branchlets, and the hair tufts on the teeth near the tips. In most collections the hair tufts have been lost, probably by damage due to the inevitably rough handling resulting from dredging. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Phylum: | Ochrophyta |
| Class: | Phaeophyceae |
| Order: | Desmarestiales |
| Family: | Desmarestiaceae |
| Genus: | Desmarestia |
| Species: | D. tropica |
| Binomial name | |
| Desmarestia tropica W. R. Taylor, 1945 | |
Desmarestia tropica, sometimes called tropical acidweed, is a species of seaweed in the family Desmarestiaceae. It is critically endangered, possibly extinct, and one of only fifteen protists evaluated by IUCN. Endemic to the Galápagos Islands, the specific epithet tropica alludes to its tropical habitat, rare for members of Desmarestiales. The common name acidweed applies to members of the genus Desmarestia, generally characterized by fronds containing vacuoles of concentrated sulfuric acid, but it is unclear if this species also produces acid.