Actinastrum Lagerheim, 1882: 70
Holotype species: Actinastrum hantzschii Lagerheim
Original publication and holotype designation:Lagerheim, G. (1882). Bidrag till kännedomen om stockholmstraktens Pediastreer, Protococcaceer och Palmellaceer. Öfversigt af Kongl. Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar Arg. 39(2): 47-81, 2 pls.
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Taxonomic status: currently recognized as a distinct genus.
Description: Thalli usually colonial, rarely solitary, forming 2- or 8-celled coenobia with cells radiating from a center and embedded in mucilaginous matrix. Cells elongate to linear with acute, obtuse or truncate cell apex. Cells 7-40 x 1-8 µm, connected only at base. Cells uninucleate; chloroplast single and parietal with pyrenoid. Asexual reproduction by autospores, 4-16 per sporangium, usually organized in one coenobium or disintegrated in single cells; spore release by dissolution of parental cell wall. Sexual reproduction unknown. Actinastrum planktonic in eutrophic freshwater ponds and lakes, reported world-wide except in arctic and subarctic climates. Relationships of genus unclear and taxon also assigned to Selenastraceae. Habit similar to some diatoms with asteroid cell arrangement (Nitzschia, Synedra).
NCBI Nucleotide Sequences
Numbers of names and species: There are 37 species (and infraspecific) names in the database at present, of which 8 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):
Actinastrum aciculare Playfair C
Actinastrum aciculare f. curvatum (G.E.Huber-Pestalozzi) P.Compère P
Actinastrum aciculare f. crassapicatum (G.E.Huber-Pestalozzi) P.Compère P
Actinastrum aciculare f. africanum P.Compère P
Actinastrum aciculare f. minimum (G.E.Huber-Pestalozzi) P.Compère P
Actinastrum bacillare Playfair C
Actinastrum cerastioides (O.Tschourina) A.Comas P
Actinastrum ellipsoideum T.Hortobágyi P
Actinastrum fluviatile (Schröder) Fott C
Actinastrum fluviatile var. subtile Woloszynska C
Actinastrum gracillimum var. elongatum (G.M.Smith) B.Fott P
Actinastrum gracillimum G.M.Smith C
Actinastrum guttula Playfair C
Actinastrum hantschii var. productum M.F.Rich P
Actinastrum hantschii var. gracile Y.V.Roll P
Actinastrum hantzschii Lagerheim C - type
Actinastrum hantzschii var. javanicum C.Bernard P
Actinastrum hantzschii var. obtusum Willi Krieger P
Actinastrum hantzschii var. subtile J.Woloszynska P
Actinastrum hantzschii var. intermedium Nayal C
Actinastrum hantzschii var. intermedia E.Teiling P
Actinastrum hantzschii var. gracile V.K.Tschernov P
Actinastrum hantzschii var. fluviatile J.L.B.Schröder S
Actinastrum hantzschii Lagerheim C
Actinastrum hantzschii var. elongatum G.M.Smith C
Actinastrum hantzschii var. curvatum T.Hortobágyi P
Actinastrum indicum N.D.Kamat P
Actinastrum javanicum (C.Bernhard) E.Teiling P
Actinastrum minimum G.E.Huber-Pestalozzi P
Actinastrum rhaphidioides (Reinsch) Brunnthaler P
Actinastrum schroeteri var. subtile ( J.Woloszynska) B.Fott P
Actinastrum schroeteri var. minimum (G.E.Huber-Pestalozzi) B.Fott P
Actinastrum schroeteri var. curvata G.E.Huber-Pestalozzi P
Actinastrum schroeteri var. crassapicata G.E.Huber-Pestalozzi P
Actinastrum schroeteri f. playfairi G.E.Huber-Pestalozzi P
Actinastrum schroeteri G.E.Huber-Pestalozzi P
Actinastrum tetaniforme E.Teiling P
References
Cambra Sánchez, J., Álvarez Cobelas, M. & Aboal Sanjurjo, M. (1998). Lista florística y bibliográfica de los clorófitos (Chlorophyta) de la Península Ibérica, Islas Baleares e Islas Canarias. pp. 1-614. Burgos: Asociación Española de Limnología.
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=43466
Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. 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 May 2013.
Algaebase taxon LSID: urn:lsid:algaebase.org:taxname:90867
