Sphacelaria

Sphacelaria is a genus of brown macroalgae (or seaweed) in the family Sphacelariaceae.

== Taxonomy and nomenclature == thumb|297x297px|An example of Sphacelaria propagule. The genus and its type species (Sphacelaria reticulata) were briefly described by Hans Christian Lyngbye in Florae Danicae in 1818. At the time of publication, such brief descriptions were considered to be valid by virtue of descriptio generico-specifica; Lyngbye immediately added nine more species to the genus in 1819. Recent studies, however have revealed that this genus is polyphyletic, with the type species forming a separate clade with from the rest of the genus—in addition, it was also observed that S. reticulata does not exhibit the key morphological characteristics of the genus. Thus, it has been proposed to change the type species into S. cirrosa, one of the most widespread species, to conserve the genus name. Dr. Willem F. Prud’homme van Reine (1941–2020) was the foremost expert on Sphacelaria taxonomy and has contributed to the clarification and naming of the 37 confirmed species.