Vanvoorstia bennettiana
Presumed extinct.
A marine red algal species which consists of a flat, finely meshed blade.
Vanvoorstia (Vanvoorstia spectabilis and Vanvoorstia coccinea).
About the size of an out-stretched hand.
Bennetts Seaweed has only ever been collected from two localities in Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour.
There is limited information on the ecology of this species, but it is assumed that it was highly sensitive to environmental change. Bennetts Seaweed probably suffered severe population decline as a result of human activities including shipping traffic, dredging and urban run-off, all of which result in heavy siltation. Heavy siltation can clog the fine netted structure of the seaweed blades, blocking essential light needed for photosynthesis.