Cornish Biodiversity Network - Supporting Wildlife Recording
The descriptive text, below the map, is from the Cornish Red Data Book (2009). The map on this web page depicts the organisms distribution and shows the records made pre-2000 and those made since.
Range & Status
This small, filamentous, epiphytic red alga is found attached to various species of the red algal genus Batrachospermum. Ralfs (MOR/RAL/1) found it in association with B. moniliforme and B. atrum in the ' Penzance' area in 1839 (Hassall, 1845). Data in Ralfs' unpublished notebook (Ralfs MOR/RAL/1) identified two sites, both in small streams, one below Trengwaington Ponds and another below Newbridge on the St. Just road. Surveys of the Trengwaington site in 2007 and 2008, and of the Newbridge site in 2007, revealed extensive habitat change and no filamentous algae (Monaghan, 2007). Balbiania investiens has also not been refound at its other known British site near Ambleside, Cumbria, Monaghan 2009 (pers. comm.). In 1999 it was recorded from Glengarriff, Co. Kerry (John et al. , 2002) and more recently has been found to be abundant in two river systems on Bodmin Moor (Gainey, April 2009); at numerous sites along the River Fowey between Draynes Wood and Bolventor, and in the De Lank River between, and in the near vicinity of, Bradford and Delford clapper bridges. This species has been considered for national Red Data Book listing (Monaghan, 2007).
I.J. Bennallick, S. Board, C.N. French, P.A. Gainey, C. Neil, R. Parslow, A. Spalding and P.E. Tompsett. eds. 2009. Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 2nd Edition.Croceago Press.
The Cornish Red Data Book Project was led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders (CISFBR). The full text and species accounts (minus the maps) are available on the CISFBR website.