red algae, (division Rhodophyta), any of about 6,000 species of predominantly marine algae, often found attached to other shore plants. Their usual red or blue colour is the result of a masking of chlorophyll by phycobilin pigments (phycoerythrin and phycocyanin). ...

Why is Rhodophyta red in colour?

Red colour of Rhodophyta is due to abundant formation of r-phycoerythrin.

What makes seaweed red?

Mainly, they are the result of type-specific pigments found in the plastids (where photosynthesis takes place in seaweed cells). ... Red seaweeds, have characteristic accessory pigments than chrlorophyll, notably phycobiliproteins. The two main types are phycoerythrin (red) and phycocyanin (blue).