[7][1] The name in Japanese is 千島袋のり / ちしまふろくのり (tisima-hukuronori or chishima-fukuronori) literally meaning "Kuril Islands bag nori".

[8][9] True to its common name, studded sea balloons are pale green to olive, ovoid sacs 3–5 centimetres (1.2–2.0 in) in diameter with small brown bumps on the surface.

[7] However, these structures are not haustoria as S. ulvoidea is not parasitic; the holdfast is merely filling cavities in damaged areas of the host with no intermingling of cells.

[2] Soranthera ulvoidea f. typica is the typical form for the species as originally described by Alexander Postels and Franz Josef Ruprecht with a regular ovoid or globular shape.

[11] Those that have Neorhodomela as a host tend to be attached more broadly, thick walled, spherical, and occurring primarily in northern or central California.

[7] A 2005 phylogenetic analysis showed no genetic evidence to support any infraspecific taxa or other species besides S. ulvoidea, despite the morphological differences of the forms.

[14] The study also noted that Botrytella micromorus (=Sorocarpus micromorus) is a close sibling taxon, as shown in their maximum likelihood tree of Chordariaceae:[14] Coelocladia arctica Streblonema maculans Isthmoplea sphaerophora Myriotrichia clavaeformis Punctaria latifolia Delamarea attenuata Striata attenuata Asperococcus fistulosus Dictyosiphon foeniculaceus Hummia onusta Giraudia sphacelaroides Chordaria flagelliformis Sphaerotricia divaricata Botrytella micromorus Soranthera ulvoidea A 2011 study found a compatible tree using different representative species.

[18] Myrionema papilosum Myractula clandestina Elachista fucicola Striaria attenuata Litosiphon laminariae Elachista flaccida Elachista scutulata Punctaria latifolia Asperococcus bullosus Ulonema rhizophorum Myrionema strangulans Ddictyosiphon foeniculaceus Leathesia difformis Corynophlaea crispa Chordaria flagelliformis Soranthera ulvoidea Studded sea balloon is found in the North Pacific Ocean on the west coast of North America,[9] from Punto San Jose, Baja California, in the south[19] up through the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, Commander Islands,[10] and Kuril Islands[9] (down to Shikotan) to the north and west.

[21] A study on the ecological impacts of ferry traffic at the Canadian Gulf Islands in British Columbia indicated that Soranthera is negatively affected by wakes, despite one of its hosts (Odonthalia floccosa) only being found at wake-impacted test sites.