[7] Dr. Willem F. Prud’homme van Reine (1941–2020) was the foremost expert on Sphacelaria taxonomy[8] and has contributed to the clarification and naming of the 37 confirmed species.

[1] Sphacelaria is a cosmopolitan genus with a majority of the species found in temperate regions[9] but representatives also thrive in the tropics up to the arctic and antarctic areas.

[12] Sphacelaria species are epiphytic and/or epilithic in nature, they form filamentous tufts or mats on the surfaces they have reclaimed and are normally found on the intertidal to shallow subtidal.

[1] Members of this genus exhibit isomorphic (i.e., the gametophyte (N) and sporophyte (2N) stage are morphologically similar) and diplohaplontic [i.e., both gametophyte (N) and sporophyte (2N) generations are free-living and equally distinct bodies but only differ in chromosome number and strategy] life cycle with isogamy (i.e., gametes with the same size and form) or anisogamy (i.e., gametes with different size and form).

[4][1] Culture studies have revealed that the reproductive strategy of Sphacelaria species are mainly dictated by the temperature, wherein propagule formation is favored during warmer seasons while sexual reproduction (i.e., formation of plurilocular and unilocular gametangia /zoidangia) occur when temperatures drop; in addition, daylength exposure is believed to contribute to the production of propagules and consequent inhibition of gametogenesis.