Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 8, 2026

Splachnidium rugosum

Splachnidium rugosum, the deadman's fingers or gummy weed, is a species of seaweed in New Zealand.

Last revised
Jun 8, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
194 w
Citations
7
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Splachnidium rugosum
Deadman's fingers growing on a rock in the intertidal zone near Wellington
Splachnidium rugosum at Te Kopahou Reserve
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Sar
Clade: Stramenopiles
Division: Ochrophyta
Class: Phaeophyceae
Order: Scytothamnales
Family: Splachnidiaceae
Genus: Splachnidium
Species:
S. rugosum
Binomial name
Splachnidium rugosum
(L.) Grev.

Splachnidium rugosum, the deadman's fingers or gummy weed, is a species of seaweed in New Zealand.123

Description

A small seaweed that grows on rocks near the shore and in the intertidal zone, tubular, which is filled with a clear gooey substance.

Range

Native to New Zealand, and known across the southern hemisphere, from Tristan da Cunha to South Africa to Australia.42

Community scientists using the platform INaturalist have identified superficially morphologically similar specimens across the southern Hemisphere using user-uploaded photos.1

Habitat

Intertidal zone.

Taxonomy

Splachnidium is monotypic, containing only the species S. rugosum.5

References

References

  1. "Splachnidium rugosum (Deadman's Fingers)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  2. "Splachnidium rugosum". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  3. Lovell-Smith, Melanie; Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Gummy weed". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  4. "Splachnidium rugosum (Linnaeus) Greville :: AlgaeBase". www.algaebase.org. Archived from the original on 2023-10-08. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  5. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Splachnidium rugosum (Linnaeus) Greville, 1830". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2025-02-05.