[8] The rounded tips of these closely packed utricles give the frond a velvety texture.

[9] The fronds hang down from rocks during low tide, hence the nickname "dead man's fingers".

Codium fragile occurs in the low intertidal zone, and subtidal on high-energy beaches.

It has no gametophyte stage, and male and female gametes are both produced on separate plants.

Since 1840, when it was first discovered in Scotland, it has spread the entire length of Britain, including Shetland.

Elsewhere in Europe it is found in several places, including Norway, Netherlands, France, Spain and the Azores.

tomentosoides), occurs along nearly the whole coastline of the eastern United States, from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada to North Carolina.

[14] It has also been recorded from the Scilly Isles, the Channel Islands, and the south and west coasts of England and Scotland.

This results in increased maintenance labor for aquaculturists and reduces the productivity of cultured marine life.