Chrysosphaerella Lauterborn, 1896

Holotype species: Chrysosphaerella longispina Lauterborn

Original publication and holotype designation: Lauterborn, R. (1896). Diagnosen neuer Protozoen aus dem Gebiete des Oberrheins. Zoologischer Anzeiger 19: 14-18.

Description: Cells solitary or grouped in more less spherical colonies, free-swimming. Colonies up to 250 µm in diam., consisting of up to 64 cells kept together by mucilage. Individual cells spherical to oval or pyriform, bearing 2 flagella of unequal length. The short flagellum has a swelling at its base which is closely associated with the stigma. Cells covered by numerous siliceous scales and spines, except for the adhering posterior surfaces of adjacent cells which are free of scales and spines. Scales elliptical to oval or circular and variously patterned with ridges and hollows. Spines with a hollow shaft and a bifurcate or trifurcate tip; basal part of the spines elaborate, in some species bobbin- or pulley-shaped consisting of 2 discs joined by a hollow tube; in some solitary species, a simpler base, which is separated from the shaft by just a septum and the spine shaft being pierced by a circular or elliptical hole just above the septum. Scales and spines are developed within vesicles which often lie close to the chrysolaminaran vacuole. Chloroplasts 1-2, one provided with a stigma at the anterior end. Protoplast also containing 2 contractile vacuoles, a chrysolaminaran vacuole, food vacuoles and mucocysts. Reproduction not described. Stomatocysts observed in some species.

Information contributed by: H.R. Preisig. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2023-02-13 by M.D. Guiry.

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

Gender: This genus name is currently treated as feminine.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Kapustin, D. & Kulikovskiy, M. (2022). Chrysosphaerella septentrionalis sp. nov. (Chrysophyceae, Chromulinales), a new species from the Arctic including the description of Chrysosphaerellaceae, fam. nov. Plants 11(3166): 1-10.

Comments: The 2 colonial species (C. longispina and C. brevispina) are abundant especially in clear water lakes and ponds in temperate regions worldwide. The unicellular species are less common; sometimes these have been assigned to the related genus Spiniferomonas (Nicholls 1984). Several additional species of Chrysosphaerella have been described; some are synonymous with other species of this genus, some are incompletely described or invalid, and some have been transferred to the zooflagellate genus Thaumatomastix (Beech and Moestrup 1986).

Kristiansen & Preisig (2001: 9) refer the genus to the order Chromulinales Pascher 1910, and family Paraphysomonadaceae Preisig & D.J. Hibberd 1983.

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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=43802

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 13 February 2023. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 18 April 2024