Phycopeltis Millardet, 1870: 48
Classification:
Empire Eukaryota
Kingdom Plantae
Subkingdom Viridaeplantae
Phylum Chlorophyta
Class Ulvophyceae
Order Trentepohliales
Family Trentepohliaceae
Holotype species: Phycopeltis epiphyton Millardet
Taxonomic status: currently recognized as a distinct genus.
Description: Thalli dichotomously branched filaments forming openly-branched to pseudoparenchymatously discoidal thalli up to 7 mm diameter. Often golden-brown, orange or orange-red (from cytoplasmic accumulations of carotenoids and other lipids). Some species producing sterile trichomes. Chloroplast irregular without pyrenoids. Nucleus single in vegetative cells. The central portion of intercellular cross walls contains simple plasmodesmata; area containing plasmodesmata a ring of thickened, differentially stainable wall material. Cross walls similar to specialized cross wall between pedicel and zoosporangium, wherein plasmodesmata located in more pronounced central ring of thickened wall material. Putative diploid sporophytes produce abscising zoosporangia characteristic of the order (cf. Cephaleuros) that are borne single on an erect sporangiate branch of one or more cells. Eight to 32 quadriflagellate zoospores with bilaterally keeled flagella and other characteristics of order produced and presumed haploid (meiosis having occurred during zoosporogenesis), and directly produce haploid gametophytic thalli. Except for reproductive structures, sporophytes and gametophytes isomorphic. Gametangia unmodified or enlarged cells of prostrate filaments, each producing 100 or more biflagellate isogametes released through dorsal pore-papilla (cf. Cephaleuros). Zygotes thought to develop directly into diploid sporophytes. In some species, gametophytes apparently produce sporangia and reproduce asexually.
Comments: Circumtropical and subtropical, with few species in temperate regions. Thalli generally noninvasive, supracuticular epiphytes of leaves, fruits and stems of vascular plants, but also reported from nonliving substrates. As in related genera
NCBI Nucleotide Sequences
Numbers of names and species: There are 36 species (and infraspecific) names in the database at present, of which 26 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):
Phycopeltis amboinensis (Karsten) Printz C
Phycopeltis arundinacea var. kelanensis (Grunow) De Toni P
Phycopeltis arundinacea (Montagne) De Toni C
Phycopeltis aurea Karsten C
Phycopeltis costaricensis R.H.Thompson & Wujek C
Phycopeltis dorsipapillosa R.E.Thompson & D.E.Wujek C
Phycopeltis epiphyton Millardet C - type
Phycopeltis expansa A.V.Jennings C
Phycopeltis flabellata R.H.Thompson & Wujek C
Phycopeltis flabelligera (De Toni) Hansgirg C
Phycopeltis hawaiiensis J.W.King S
Phycopeltis indica Tiwari & Lal P
Phycopeltis irregularis (Schmidle) Wille C
Phycopeltis iucundus Salujha, Kindra, & Rehman P
Phycopeltis javanica Neustupa C
Phycopeltis juarensis Neustupa C
Phycopeltis kosteriana A.B.Cribb C
Phycopeltis maritima Karsten C
Phycopeltis microcystis Schmidle C
Phycopeltis minuta R.H.Thompson & D.E.Wujek C
Phycopeltis nigra A.V.Jennings U
Phycopeltis novae-zelandiae R.H.Thompson & Wujek C
Phycopeltis parva R.H.Thompson C
Phycopeltis pilosa R.H.Thompson & D.E.Wujek C
Phycopeltis polymorpha (Schmidle) Wille S
Phycopeltis prostrata (De Wildeman) Schmidle C
Phycopeltis pseudotreubii R.H.Thompson & D.E.Wujek C
Phycopeltis terminipapillosa R.H.Thompson & D.E.Wujek P
Phycopeltis terminopapillosa Thompson & Wujek C
Phycopeltis theaensis Neustupa C
Phycopeltis treubii var. expansa Schmidle P
Phycopeltis treubii Karsten C
Phycopeltis treubioides Thompson & Wujek C
Phycopeltis tropica (Möbius) Hansgirg P
Phycopeltis umbrina (Kützing) Thompson & Wujek S
Phycopeltis vaga Thompson & Wujek C
Information contributed by: R. L. Chapman. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 17 Oct 2009 by Stephen Cusack.
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.
