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Grateloupia lanceola was originally described from the southern Iberian Peninsula and northwestern Africa coasts. Its current Iberian distribution only includes some localities in NW (La Coruña) and SE (Málaga) Spain. The closely related invasive species Grateloupia turuturu is present in Galicia (NW Spain) since 1991 and in northern Portugal since 1997. Galicia is the only area in Europe where both especies are sympatric. This paper presents a comparative study of G. lanceola and G. turuturu along the Iberian Peninsula coast. The blade of G. lanceola is purplish red with a characteristic emerald green colour to the base, and usually has scattered paler spots. Moreover, it is 200-450 µm thick, has a sort stipe, and marginal proliferations developed usually only in eroded areas. The lamina of G. turuturu is red or pink through, without paler spots or green areas. It is thinner (130-250 µm), has a long stipe, and frequent congenital marginal proliferations.