Endocladia muricata

Branch of a scouring pad alga ( Endocladia muricata ) from Carmel Point, California, under my foldscope. This is a red tuft algae that is commonly found in the mid to high intertidal, is fairly soft to the touch, and has many branching offshoots. Seen in the image are small spines along these small branches. While the spines appear like they would be abrasive or sharp like thorns on a rose, they are actually soft to the touch. These branches also provide refuge for many smaller invertebrate species such as amphipods, which I have a separate post for. The alga’s branching pattern along with these spines may help it contain moisture and resist desiccation when it is exposed during low tide.
I had a fairly hard time taking these pictures since it was my first using my phone the scope. I ended up using a glass slide and cover with clear plastic tape to hold the edges of the cover down, I broke a few covers figuring out the best way to tape it in place. Using a flexible lamp allowed me to adjust my light source around to provide good lighting conditions.