Sphaerocystis R.Chodat, 1897: 119
Holotype species: Sphaerocystis schroeteri Chodat
Original publication and holotype designation:Chodat, R. (1897). Algues pélagiques nouvelles. Bulletin de l'Herbier Boissier 5: 119-120.
Download PDF
Taxonomic status: currently recognized as a distinct genus.
Description: Spherical colonies to more than 1 mm diameter, with 4-32 (-64) cells embedded in extensive mucilage. Cells spherical, 4-16 &m diameter, clustered in mucilage in groups of four or more or less dispersed. Cells with smooth cell walls. Cells uninucleate; chloroplast single and parietal with single pyrenoid.Asexual reproduction mostly by autospores, 2, 4, or 8 per sporangium and released by fragmentation of sporangial wall. Cell wall fragments not remaining distinct but becoming dissolved in colonial mucilage. Zoospores with two apical flagella and cup-shaped chloroplast with pyrenoid. Sphaerocystis planktonic in freshwater; reported from Europe, North America and South Africa. Genus of uncertain affinities, variously placed by recent authors in Hormotilaceae, Radiococcaceae and Palmellaceae. S. signiensis, S. bilobata, S. polycocca, S. sphaerocystiformis and S. bavarica reassigned to Coenochloris, Coenocococcus or Planctococcus by various authors.
NCBI Nucleotide Sequences
Numbers of names and species: There are 11 species (and infraspecific) names in the database at present, of which 3 have been flagged as currently accepted taxonomically.
Names: ('C' indicates a name that is currently accepted taxonomically; 'S' a homotypic or heterotypic synonym; 'U' indicates a name of uncertain taxonomic status, but which has been subjected to some verification nomenclaturally; 'P' indicates a preliminary AlgaeBase entry that has not been subjected to any kind of verification. For more information on a species click on it to activate a link to the Species database):
Sphaerocystis bilobata Broady S
Sphaerocystis mucosus A.Braun P
Sphaerocystis oleifera var. antarctica Broady S
Sphaerocystis oleifera Broady S
Sphaerocystis planctonica (Korshikov) Bourrelly C
Sphaerocystis polycocca Korshikov S
Sphaerocystis schroeteri Chodat C - type
Sphaerocystis schroeteri var. tetraedrica Playfair C
Sphaerocystis signiensis Broady S
Sphaerocystis sphaerocystiformis (Korshikov) Bourrelly S
Sphaerocystis vesiculosa var. schroeteri (Chodat) Playfair S
Contributors
Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera,
organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA)
and intended to be published in CD format.
These AlgaeBase descriptions are now being continually updated, and each current contributor is identified above.
The PSA and AlgaeBase warmly acknowledge the generosity of all past and present contributors and particularly the work of Dr Parker.
Descriptions of chrysophyte genera were subsequently published in J. Kristiansen & H.R. Preisig (eds.). 2001. Encyclopedia of Chrysophyte Genera. Bibliotheca Phycologica 110: 1-260.
Linking to this page: http://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=43456
Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
Michael Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 20 June 2013.
Algaebase taxon LSID: urn:lsid:algaebase.org:taxname:6935
