Durvillaea willana

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Chromista · Phylum: Ochrophyta · Class: Phaeophyceae · Order: Fucales · Family: Durvillaeaceae · Genus: Durvillaea.

Accepted name: Durvillaea willana · Authority: Lindauer, 1949 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 373397.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=373397 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Durvillaea willana. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Habitat zone: sessile.

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 109731) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Durvillaea-willana.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

155 georeferenced occurrence records for Durvillaea willana are published through GBIF from 1 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 14 distinct locations from a sample of 155 records, omitting 17 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: New Zealand (155).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 3197460) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=3197460&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=373397 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

This species is chocolate brown in colour and is darker than all other bull kelp species. It has a branched stipe. The species is non-buoyant and does not have 'honeycomb' in its fronds. The holdfast becomes large and spreads like a plate on rocky substrates.

This species is superficially similar in appearance to Durvillaea antarctica. However, D. willana has smaller blades than D. antarctica and is usually found lower on the shoreline because its lower tolerance of wave action compared to D. antarctica. It also has a branched stipe and does not have buoyant fronds, unlike D. antarctica.

The species epithet, willana, honours Eileen Alice Willa who collected many algal species for Lindauer.

This species of kelp is endemic to New Zealand and is found on the southeastern shores of the North Island, although not in Cook Strait, as well as on the shores of the South Island and Stewart Island.

Gaps in the geographic range of the species may have been caused by earthquake uplift events such as the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake. However, historic uplift (800 – 1400 years before present) in the Akatore fault zone does not seem to have caused any long term disruption in the genetic diversity of D. willana, in that region. This result suggests that the subtidal D. willana may not die-off completely due to earthquake uplift events.

Source: Wikipedia: Durvillaea willana — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durvillaea_willana (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.