Seaweed Sorter26.01.10

Seaweed Sorter helps users identify 130 species of macroalgae commonly found along the west coast of British Columbia, Canada, including many species that extend from Alaska down to Washington, Oregon, and northern California.

Unlike printed dichotomous keys, which use jargon and often require specialized knowledge, Seaweed Sorter uses easy-to-understand, illustrated questions that assume no prior knowledge and allows users to skip questions at any time.

Seaweed Sorter includes more than 300 photos, current and former names, taxonomic details, clear morphological and ecological descriptions, and lists of other seaweeds that “could be confused with” your specimen - all curated by Dr. Patrick Martone (Professor of Phycology, UBC). Books can be quickly out-of-date, but Seaweed Sorter content will be updated frequently with taxonomic revisions, additional photos, new species, and more. Plus, content is available anytime and doesn’t require an internet connection, making Seaweed Sorter an excellent companion on any trip to the coast.

Great for educators, students, consultants, and naturalists!

Version History New in Version 26.01.10:
- Updated names of Nemalion elminthoides, Mariprasiola sp., and Caulacanthus okamurae
- Added Chaetomorpha aerea
- Added Mazzaella japonica
- Updated the constraints affecting species names in Sorting results list 26.01.10 Jan 12 Just a nuts and bolts update behind the scenes. Same great app! 24.09.01 09/03/2024 Small (but important!) update, following this week's MAJOR update:
- Updated the name of the calcified crust, Boreolithothamnion
- Added 3 additional photos of the epiphytic Ceramothamnion coulteri
- Updated the screenshots in the App Store for new users
Happy sorting, Seaweed Lovers! 24.05.28 05/29/2024 MAJOR UPDATE FOR 2024!
6 New Species: Stephanocystis geminata, Laminaria ephemera, Wildemania occidentalis, Neodilsea borealis, Devaleraea mollis, and Coilodesme californica
6 Updated Taxonomic Names: Introducing Ceramothamnion, Herpochondria, Yendoa, and Botryocladia hawkesii; farewell Ceramium, Microcladia, and Lomentaria!
3 New Questions to improve sorting: Is it wider than your hand? Did you find it North of Vancouver Island, BC? Did you find it in a wave-exposed location?
15 New Photos: Costaria, Erythrophyllum, Alaria, Nereocystis, Desmarestia herbacea, Dilsea, Mazzaella affinis, Mazzaella parksii, Yendoa, Herpochondria, Plocamium violaceum, and Prionitis
... plus an update to the code to make the app run more quickly! 24.05.25 05/26/2024 Major update, seaweed-lovers!
Added 5 new species: Ahnfeltia fastigiata, Fredericqia chiton, Fredericqia decewii, Gracilariopsis andersonii, Gracilaria sp.
Added 2 new questions for species found on sandy beaches or in mudflats
Updated name for Macrocystis tenuifolia (!)
Updated code to ensure questions were parsed correctly, with unhelpful questions discarded 23.09.05 09/05/2023 Streamlined and simplified the app by removing redundant question: "Does it branch?"
Updated data for Acrosiphonia coalita
Updated description of Petalonia fascia, which can be confused with juvenile kelps 23.04.08 04/09/2023 New species added: Petalonia fascia! Just in time for early Spring seaweed surveys!

Also updated image asset coding behind the scenes, and happy to report I found the error before throwing computer in a tidepool. :-)
Happy Seaweeding! 23.03.23 03/26/2023 Hey Seaweed Lovers! A long overdue update!
- 2 new species added: Neorhodomela aculeata and Neorhodomela oregona
- 2 new questions added: Is it living in a high tidepool, and Is it dark brown or black in colour?
- After re-considering the literature, we've reinstated the species names, Eisenia arborea and Nemalion helminthoides
- New common name for Chamberlainium: Purple Rock Chalk! (the brainchild of local phycologist Elliot Porcher)
- Corrected a data error for Petrospongium rugosum. Keep an eye out for this cool squishy crust! 23.03.06 03/08/2023 Happy new year, seaweed lovers! New species added: Gelidium purpurascens! A tricky little seaweed that can be confused with Gelidium coulteri. Hope these photos and description clear it up! Big thanks to Mike Chung and Hannah Levit for bringing this to our attention.

Remember to click "?" on the homescreen to submit problems and suggestions. And please rate us in the App Store! 22.01.16 01/18/2022 Happy holidays, Seaweed-Lovers! This is a substantial update that will improve the basic usability of the Seaweed Sorter. Thank you for all the fantastic feedback!
Nuts & Bolts updates
-- Homescreen now fills the entire screen of the latest iPhone models (very slick!)
-- Fixed a "dark-mode" error that improves the overall look of the app
-- Fixed a screen rotation error that caused the app to reset
-- Updated the sorting logic to help tease apart more subtle differences in species

Data updates
-- Added 4 new illustrated questions, and removed one redundant question
-- Refined the wording in a two questions
-- Improved the data for Bangia and Rhodymenia 20.12.10 12/11/2020 Happy new year, seaweed-lovers! This update includes:
- 3 new species (Lomentaria hakodatensis, Caulacanthus ustulatus, Griffithsia pacifica)
- 2 new questions to help refine your search
- Updated Xcode to ensure full screen (instead of "modal") presentation
- Updated data file, including accounting for the fact that Gelidium can appear reddish (thanks, Megan Fass!)
** Please review the Seaweed Sorter on the App Store, and happy seaweed hunting! 20.1.12 01/13/2020 Hey Seaweed fans!
Newest version of the Seaweed Sorter here, now with 111 species from the Pacific Northwest.
- 2 new species, including photos and descriptions: Scinaia confusa and Odonthalia floccosa forma comosa
- 1 taxonomic update: Dactylosiphon bullosus (formerly Colpomenia bullosa)
- 1 new question: "Are the branches thin, hairlike, and difficult to separate?"
- 13 new photos: Desmarestia herbacea, Desmarestia viridis, Soranthera ulvoidea, Mazzaella splendens, Sargassum muticum, Prasiola sp
** Spread the word and please rate on the Itunes Store! ** 19.7.08 07/10/2019 Added 2 cool new species: Odonthalia washingtoniensis and Ahnfeltiopsis linearis
Added 5 new photos, including "fenestrae" of the lovely Ulva fenestrata
Updated the Arthrothamnaceae family for Macrocystis, Nereocystis, Saccharina, and Postelsia
Updated the screen-name of the app to NW Seaweeds
** We are now at 109 species and counting. Stay tuned, seaweed hunters, more species on the way! 19.5.20 05/21/2019 Get the latest taxonomic update here!
- Updated the names of 6 species, including several very common ones
- Ulva fenestrata, Hedophyllum sessile, Hedophyllum nigripes, Savoiea robusta, Prionitis sternbergii, Desmarestia herbacea
- Also updated and refined a few species descriptions
- Improved compatibility with new iPhone X series with 6.5" screens

*Stay tuned, seaweed lovers, as we are gearing up to add a few brand new species to the app. Another big update coming soon. 19.4.27 04/29/2019 As advertised, the Seaweed Sorter continues to get better and more comprehensive!
- Added 4 new species: Dictyosiphon sinicola, Laminaria yezoensis, Saccharina nigripes, Zostera marina
- Added 30 new photos, including several of Phyllospadix root and flowers
- Refined descriptions of several species
- Corrected duplicate error in "confused with" section of Costaria costata

**Your comments and suggestions are welcome (seaweedsorter@gmail.com), and please rate and endorse on the App Store! Thanks, seaweed lovers! Happy sorting! 1.2.3 07/11/2018 - Fixed the Help screen
- Updated italics and spelling in Bangia
- Updated Current Names, including Chamberlainium
- Added Former Names
- Re-worded questions 1.2.2 05/27/2018 - Corrected photo for Mazzaella affinis
- Updated references from Pterosiphonia to Polyostea 1.2.1 11/17/2017 - Italicized species names in descriptions
- Added smart scrolling so "back" button returns users to same position in species list
- Added "Former Names" to the bottom of species pages 1.2.0 11/15/2017 - Updated to "Pacific Northwest" edition
- Updated Help Page 1.0.11 11/13/2017 - Changed "Skip" button to "Not Sure"
- Updated Seaweed Sorter decision tree for Cumagloia andersonii
- Updated names of Nemalion vermiculare and Polyostea robusta
- Added additional photos for several species 1.0.10 11/06/2017 - Updated descriptions for several species 1.0.8 09/12/2017 - Now with photos and descriptions of 103 seaweed species!
- Fixed an issue with scrolling on some devices 1.0.7 09/06/2017 1.0 07/25/2017