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Frog spawn alga

Batrachospermum spp. · Algae

Frog spawn alga: Underwater

Underwater · Photo: Nicola Crockford / CC BY

NativeBenthic algae (on rocks and the bottom)Red

Also called Red algae, Frogspawn algae, Batrachospermum

How to identify Frog spawn alga

  • Soft, slippery strands that look like beaded strings of frog eggs
  • Olive, brownish, blue green or violet color
  • Gelatinous and falls apart easily when handled
  • Beads visible to the eye along the strands

Similar species

Draparnaldia is brighter green; Chaetophora forms firm round jelly beads rather than beaded strands.

Growth profile

SeasonPresent in spring and early summer, sometimes through fall in springs, and persists as a small attached stage.
StartsCool water, about 40 to 55 F
LightLow to moderate light; often shaded
DepthAttached to rocks and wood in shallow flowing water
How it spreads or reproducesSpores and fragments
HabitatCool, clear streams, springs and spring fed ponds, attached to rocks and wood.

Why it matters in a lake

Generally indicates clean, cool water. Rarely a nuisance.

Where it is found

  • Idaho: Occasional
  • Oregon: Occasional
  • Wyoming: Occasional

Classification

KingdomPlantae
PhylumRhodophyta
ClassFlorideophyceae
OrderBatrachospermales
FamilyBatrachospermaceae
Scientific nameBatrachospermum spp.

More benthic algae

DidymoHydrurusLemaneaCompsopogonRed crust algaSpirogyra

Browse all algae in the Species Database

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