Scherffelia Pascher, 1911

Holotype species: Scherffelia dubia (Perty) Pascher

Description: Cells ellipsoidal to cylindrical and strongly flattened along the longitudinal axis. Anterior depression defined by four lobes of varying prominence. Cell may be twisted in the flattened plane. Cell wall (=theca) is present and may be thickened along the outer edges of the flattened cell. Cell wall may also appear reddish. Four isokont flagella inserted in a small, but sharply-defined, anterior depression. One or two chloroplasts present, either cup-shaped or flattened. Pyrenoids absent. Stigma normally present. Single central nucleus. Two (rarely three) anterior contractile vacuoles. Asexual reproduction by longitudinal division of the protoplast typically producing four motile daughter. No other asexual stages have been observed. No sexual stages have been observed in this genus.

Information contributed by: M. Buchheim. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2012-06-29 by Michael Guiry.

Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Moestrup, Ø. (2002). Phylum Prasinophyta. In: The Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles. An identification guide to freshwater and terrestrial algae. (John, D.M., Whitton, B.A. & Brook, A.J. Eds), pp. 281-286. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Comments: Scherffelia species occur in marine, brackish, and freshwater habitats. Frequently collected in the plankton. Scherffelia has been collected in continental Europe, the United Kingdom, India, and North America. Melkonian places Scherffelia in the class Prasinophyceae, order Chlorodendrales, and family Chlorodendraceae. No biochemical or molecular data are available for this organism

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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Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in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: https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=44240

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
Michael Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 29 June 2012. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 25 April 2024