Rhopalosolen Fott, 1957

Holotype species: Rhopalosolen cylindricus (F.D.Lambert) Fott

Description: Solitary, cylindrical to clavate cells attached to substratum with mucilaginous attachment pad. Cells ca 80-430 x 10-45 µm when mature, straight (slightly curved at base in R. saccatus) and broadly rounded at upper end. Cell walls smooth. Cells uninucleate when young, later becoming multinucleate; chloroplasts single to many(?); with one to many pyrenoids, each with characteristic starch sheath. Asexual reproduction by biflagellate zoospores; numerous spores per sporangium; released by tear in distal end of cell. Zoospores 13-23 µm long; with anterior contractile vacuoles and single cup shaped chloroplast with pyrenoid. Anisogamous sexual reproduction described only for R. saccatus. Gametes smaller than zoospores and may be parthenogenetic. Rhopalosolen epizoic on planktonic crustaceans in freshwater; reported mostly from Europe with type species also known from North and South America and Africa. Genus assigned to subfamily Fernandinelloideae by some authors, or excluded from Characiaceae and placed in Rhopalosolenaceae. Filarszkia may be the correct name for genus. Species distinguished by details of cell size and shape.

Information contributed by: D. Gargary & T. Kalina. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2017-09-16 by M.D. Guiry.

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

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Ramos, G.J.P., Mattos Bicudo, C.E. & Nascimento Moura, C.W. (2017). Algae in phytotelmata from Caatinga: first record of the genus Rhopalosolen Fott (Chlorophyta) for Brazil. Check List 13(5): 403-410.

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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Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in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.

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Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 16 September 2017. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 26 April 2024