Asparagopsis armata is a species of marine red algae, in the family Bonnemaisoniaceae. English name(s) include red harpoon weed. They are multicellular eukaryotic organisms that. This species was first described in 1855 by Harvey, an Irish botanist who found the algae on the Western Australian coast. A. armata usually develop on infralittoral rocky bottoms around the seawater surface to around 40m of depth. Marine algae like A. armata are considered “autogenic ecosystem engineers” as they are at the very bottom of the food chain and control resource availability to other organisms in the ecosystem.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Compounds documented for Asparagopsis armata across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile4 classes
Halogenated hydrocarbons18
Wax monoesters3
Aminoacids1
Fatty aldehydes1
Documented compounds25 total
Compound
Class
Amount
Source
(1R)-1-bromo-1,3,3-trichloropropan-2-one
present
LOTUS
(1R)-1-bromo-1,3-dichloropropan-2-one
present
LOTUS
(1S,3R)-1,3-dibromo-1,3-dichloropropan-2-one
present
LOTUS
1,1,3,3-Tetrabromoacetone
present
LOTUS
1,1,3,3-Tetrachloropropanone
present
LOTUS
1,1,3-Trichloroacetone
present
LOTUS
1,1-Dibromo-3,3-dichloroacetone
present
LOTUS
1,1-Dibromo-3-iodopropan-2-one
present
LOTUS
1-Chloro-3-iodopropan-2-one
present
LOTUS
1-Pentanaminium, 5-amino-1,5-dicarboxy-N,N,N-trimethyl-, inner salt
present
LOTUS
05DNA & barcoding42 specimens
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Asparagopsis armata has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens42
BINs2
Marker genes3
GenBank sequences10
eDNA detections81
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
Asparagopsis armata isolate B02 ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit (rbcL) gene, partial cds; chloroplast
Variant network
Each circle is a barcode variant; bigger = more specimens, colour = region. Lines join the most similar variants and the tick marks count the mutations between them — a tight cluster is one “dialect”, a long line a more divergent lineage. Click a circle to list its actual specimens.
EuropeOceania
Closest relatives by DNA barcode
The species whose COI barcode is most similar to this one — a quick “who is this most like”. The percentage is how much the barcode differs; it approximates, but is not, the full evolutionary tree.
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★COI-5P★rbcL1028S-D2
animal barcodeplant barcodemarker
06Genome at a glanceGoaT
The complete instruction manualAsparagopsis armata carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Genome size684 600 000 bp
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
BACTERIUM Carsonella ruddii0.00016 Gb
FUNGUS0.04 Gb
INSECT0.25 Gb
THIS GENOME Asparagopsis armata0.68 Gb
HUMAN3.2 Gb
WHEAT17 Gb
FERN Tmesipteris160.45 Gb
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
Chromosomes2n = 20 n = 10
Chromosome-count records — grouped by value · 2n = full set, n = gamete · click a value for sources & references
median 0.6 m · max 40 m · 1 273 records with depth
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy96% within 1 km
≤100 m 2 414≤1 km 571≤10 km 95>10 km 28
3 108 georeferenced · 3 085 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor6 193
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy61% within 1 km
≤100 m 403≤1 km 159≤10 km 348>10 km 8
918 georeferenced · 2 058 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence2 976
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions24 of 56 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
UAclocation not on record
272
Institut Francais pour l'Etude de la Merlocation not on record
192
Adelaide, AU
166
486location not on record
114
Wellington, NZ
114
South Kensington, GB
100
Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record
87
Auckland, NZ
73
Chapel Hill, US
71
DASSHlocation not on record
55
PNHSlocation not on record
39
Mount Annan, AU
31
BDBClocation not on record
29
Hobart, AU
26
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
25
Barcelona, ES
23
Universidad de Málagalocation not on record
19
MeiseBGlocation not on record
16
CIBIOlocation not on record
16
Ann Arbor, US
16
GRAlocation not on record
16
Kensington, AU
15
LDlocation not on record
15
València, ES
11
Museum national d'Histoire naturellelocation not on record
10
WTUlocation not on record
10
Acadia Universitylocation not on record
10
Bronx, US
8
Universidad de Oviedolocation not on record
8
Brisbane, AU
6
Clocation not on record
5
ISAlocation not on record
5
James Cook Townsvillelocation not on record
4
Honolulu, US
4
BISHlocation not on record
4
ARMS-MBONlocation not on record
3
QVMAGlocation not on record
3
Buenos Aires, AR
3
Tampa, US
2
Madrid, ES
2
Durham, US
2
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciencelocation not on record
1
Australian Institute of Marine Sciencelocation not on record
1
Burlington, US
1
University of Messina, Phycological Lablocation not on record
1
Arcata, US
1
Granada, ES
1
Museo Achille Folettolocation not on record
1
Institut und Museum fuer Geologie und Palaeontologielocation not on record
1
Christchurch, NZ
1
Butler Universitylocation not on record
1
MAlocation not on record
1
UIBlocation not on record
1
Natick, US
1
Musée des Confluenceslocation not on record
1
San Diego, US
1
56 institutions · 1 645 of 2 976 vouchered records shown · 244 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA81 detections
Where the DNA of Asparagopsis armata was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found81
Studies independent surveys4
Countries5
Verifiable raw sequence linked3
Signal confidence: moderateweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 81 detections have coordinates
Open the map5 countries0
Special Area of Conservation; protected; 9.4…temperate marginal sea biomeIndustrial port; industrial; 9.4 - Subtidal …
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Measured at samplingin-field
Temperature16.5 °C 12.0–21.0
pH8.03 7.97–8.20
Conductivity50,994 µS/cm 35,000–53,000
Salinity35.9 PSU 22.0–36.3
Dissolved oxygen7.45 mg/L 6.91–9.31
Turbidity1.40 NTU 0.128–1.87
Nitrate0.4 µmol/L
Sand99.5 % 99.1–99.8
Depth2.00 m 0.5–40.0
SedimentPelagicCoastal water
46 samples with on-site data · median with range · describes the sample, not the organism
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median17.5 °C 13.6–19.7
Seasonal swing summer↔winter8.10 °C
Max temp (day)19.2 °C 15.8–23.2
Min temp (night)15.8 °C 10.1–17.4
Precipitation74.8 mm/mo 23.9–96.5
Air humidity58.8 % 54.5–63.1
Moisture balance-66.9 mm/mo
Vapour deficit822 Pa 610–1,033
Wind speed6.10 m/s
Cloud cover21.1 % 10.6–40.3
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 77 detection points · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation3 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility8 162 records↗
OBISOcean Biodiversity Information System3 235 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI81 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics42 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗