Nitella hyalina (De Candolle) C.Agardh 1824
Publication Details
Nitella hyalina (De Candolle) C.Agardh 1824: 126
Published in: Agardh, C.A. (1824). Systema algarum. pp. [i]-xxxvii, [1]-312. Lundae [Lund]: Literis Berlingianis [Berling].
Publication date: probably September 1824
Type Species
The type species (lectotype) of the genus Nitella is Nitella opaca (C.Agardh ex Bruzelius) C.Agardh.
Status of Name
This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.
Basionym
Chara hyalina De Candolle
Type Information
Syntype localities: aux environs de Lausanne; du Mans; de Nantes; (De Candolle 1815: 247) Lectotype (Lac de grand lieu, Nantes, France; designated by Wood in Wood & Imahori 1965: 660): Hectot; 1805; G-DC; sine numero (Wood & Imahori 1965: 660) Notes: Syntype, Lectotype [small bit in packet per R.D.Wood Sept. 14, 1956; ref. Wood 1965: 660 spec. g]: G, ex herbarium De Candolle. Lac de Grand Lieu [France, Nantes], Hecot, 1805 (Ahmadi et al., 2012: 384).
Origin of Species Name
Adjective A (Latin), glassy, hyaline, glassy-green.
General Environment
This is a freshwatermarine species.
Description
The plants are up to 20 cm high. The axis is to 700 m in diameter. The species is
easy distinguishable from other species by the accessory branchlets which are
shorter than the other branchlets. The dactyls are 2-celled. The species is
monoecious. The gametangia are often enveloped in mucus. The oogonia are
solitary and up to 400 m long. The antheridia are about 400 m in diameter.
Habitat
Nitella hyalina is found in freshwater and slightly brackish water. In Finland
it is found in brackish water in the Gulf of Finland.
The species is annual. In Finland fructification takes place between July and October,
and collected plants are often richly fertile. Ripe, brown oospores are found from
September onwards.
Key Characteristics
Double row with branchlets
Created: 11 April 2002 by M.D. Guiry.
Last updated: 21 January 2025
Verification of Data
Users are responsible for verifying the accuracy of information before use, as noted on the website Content page.
Distributional notes
Thought to be extinct in the British Isles (see Bryant & Stewart, 2002: 609). - (11 May 2006) - G.M. Guiry
"Nitella hyalina has a cosmopolitan distribution (Korsch, 2018). It roughly can be found between 65° north latitude and 50° south latitude and a number of oceanic islands like New Caledonia, New Zealand, Madagascar, Japan and Gran Canarias. The species is missing around the equator. In Europe the centre of distribution of Nitella hyalina is located in the western Mediterranean area and in France (Fig. 62.4). In southern Finland in the Baltic area there are some isolated habitats. Although the distribution area is large, Nitella hyalina is (very) rare at most sites." (Nat & Becker 2024). - (21 January 2025) - M.D. Guiry
Habitat note
mostly in ponds and lakes, from shoreline downwards to 9 m; neutral to slightly alkaline pH; tolerates drying out (Muller et al., 2017). - (01 November 2017) - G.M. Guiry
Conservational note
"The disappearance of Nitella hyalina at many sites in Europe is quite attributable to the destruction of its habitats. Especially the loss of small waterbodies is a major threat for the species. Apart from this, for the area of Zürich (Switzerland) Schwarzer (2019) mentioned eutrophication, increase in water turbidity, anthropogenic interference, strong predation by non-domestic herbivorous fish and waterfowl and competition from vascular plants as the main risk factors. Nitella hyalina can disappear and reappear quite suddenly for no apparent reason. That makes water management and the carrying out of species protection programs difficult. The current example of a mesotrophic lake in north-western Germany with stable and huge stands of N. hyalina for more than 15 years, demonstrates, that such a population can almost be destroyed within less than two years by changes in fishery exploitation. On the other hand this species can tolerate some disturbance: In the Croatian site (on the island of Pag), sheep use the small pond as drinking water, which they use every day in the summer. Therefore the turbidity and eutrophication in the water body is relatively high. Despite these conditions, this species has been found in the pond several times from 2007 to 2017 (July-August). In some cases, the stands were covered by a thin layer of cyanobacteria/filamentous algae (as a result of eutrophication), but they survived. This phenomenon (thin cyanobacteria layer on the thalli) has been reported in other cases with other Nitella species, in shallow ponds, puddles (with muddy bottom) in Hungary (J. Csiky pers. comm.).
Nitella hyalina is threatened according to several national European Red Lists (Becker, 2016a). The species is Critically Endangered in the Balkan countries and in Germany (Korsch et al., 2013), Endangered in the Netherlands (van Raam, 2002) and Vulnerable in Finland (Koistinen, 2010) and Spain (Cirujano et al., 2008). N. hyalina is Extinct in Great Britain (JNCC 2004) and Regionally Extinct in Switzerland (Auderset Joye and Schwarzer, 2012). Throughout Europe N. hyalina occurs in several habitat types of Community Interest encoded in Annex I of the Habitats Directive 92/43EC (European Commission, 1992). This applies particularly to the oligo-and mesotrophic freshwater habitat types 3110, 3130 and 3140. Moreover, especially in the Mediterranean area, coastal lagoons, encoded as priority habitat type *1150 are in some regions the habitat of N. hyalina (e.g., Becker, 2019). From the national point of view various waterbodies are protected as nature reserves or have a related status of conservation. - (21 January 2025) - M.D. Guiry
Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=27223
Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 21 January 2025. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 11 February 2025