Ball-like forms new for some macroalgae common in coastal basins

The ball-like forms of Alsidium corallinum, Gracilaria bursa-pastoris and Spyridia filamentosa are described for the first time. These species are often dominant in the unattached seaweed communities of transitional environments. Their ball forms are quite different from the conspecific attached thalli in that they lack a holdfast and have both radially arranged branches and curled distal part of branches