Seaweed surveys discover species never seen before and new to science

Natural England’s underwater surveys of maerl beds off the south coast of Cornwall have uncovered a remarkable array of rare and scientifically important seaweeds, including species never before recorded in the UK.

Among the findings are species last seen centuries ago and a tiny red seaweed now confirmed as completely new to science.

The newly identified Ceramium (pincer weed) found is only a few millimetres across, so small that it has never previously been possible to identify. Divers brought up living fragments to the surface, allowing scientists to grown it in the lab and sequence its DNA for the first time.