Ulva lactuca   Linnaeus, 1753

Sea lettuce

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Ulva lactuca  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Ulva lactuca

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Ulvophyceae | Ulvales | Ulvaceae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Sessile; depth range 0 - 108 m (Ref. 101735).  Subtropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Atlantic Ocean, Indo-Pacific: Mexico, from Quebec to Argentina, east to Sweden and to South Africa east to India; in the Bay of Bengal, from Bangladesh south to Australia; from China to New Zealand, east to Alaska and south to Chile. Tropical to polar.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26875)

Short description Morphology

Green thallus; expanded into thin, glossy broad sheets with a lobed or undulating margin. Two layers of cells in cross-section; cells polyhedral in surface view and arranged in rather longitudinal rows. Blades up to 30 cm in length (Ref. 80758).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Edible. Used as medicine and source of vitamins E, A, and B1 (Ref. 80758). Also has the potential use as animal feeds in the form of ground meal (Ref. 26875). Grows in intertidal areas exposed to air during low tide, in shallow water near shores, or attached to other seaweed species such as Sargassum (Ref. 80758). Often detached and free-floating at midtide (Ref. 801). Abundantly found in areas with varying salinity, and develops rapidly in nutrient-rich waters; thus, common in polluted areas (Ref. 26875).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry. 2009. (Ref. 80701)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)


CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless (Ref. 80758)

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
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More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Common names
Synonyms
Predators
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Morphology
Larvae
Abundance

Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | AlgaeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 6.9 - 28.8, mean 22.9 (based on 5411 cells).