Keys to species Sphacelaria

1. Propagula slender; arms amny times longer than broad
2
1. Propagula stout; arms little if at all extended
3
2. Propagula triradiate at the summit
S. fuca
2. Propagula biradiate at the summit
3. Filaments 45 - 80 u diam.; propagula obconic or somewhat flattened; arms not extended, the cells at the tip of each arm transversely divided
S. novae-hollandiae
3. Propagula with evident arms
4
4. Filaments 25-60 u diam.; propogula about as wide as long; arms 1-2 diameters long, obliquely divergent, the end cells undivided
S. tribuloides
4. Filaments 55-80 u diam.; propagula much wider than long, the arms transverse with very large tip cells; stalks each 2 - celled, articulated directly with the broad body of the propagulum
S. brachygonia