Description: A gelatinous thallus growing from a discoid holdfast with erect fronds up to 30 cms and up to 1 cm wide. Irregularly branched sparingly, from the main axis, becoming hollow and somewhat inflated and twisted. In colour dark brownish red commonly becoming bleached towards the tips of the branches in shallow rock pools.

Habitat: Common in rock pools from the upper littoral to the sublittoral but most abundant in well-lit pools of the mid-littoral. Epilithic.

Distribution: Generally distributed around the British Isles including the Shetlands and Channel Islands. Europe: Portugal, Spain, France, Netherlands, the Baltic, Faroes and Norway. Greenland. Atlantic coast North America from Canada to Connecticut and Long Island. Further afield: Arctic Sea from the Murman Sea and Baffin Bay.

Distribution Map from NBN: Dumontia contorta at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Dumontia contorta at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Dumontia contorta at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Dumontia contorta (S.G.Gmelin) Ruprecht, 1850. AphiaID: 145228.

Classification: Biota; Plantae; Biliphyta; Rhodophyta; Eurhodophytina; Florideophyceae; Rhodymeniophycidae; Gigartinales; Dumontiaceae; Dumontia