Jump to content

Podohedriella

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Podohedriella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Clade: Viridiplantae
Division: Chlorophyta
Class: Chlorophyceae
Order: Sphaeropleales
Family: Selenastraceae
Genus: Podohedriella
F.Hindák
Species

Podohedriella is a genus of green algae in the family Selenastraceae.[1] It is found in freshwater habitats[2] or on damp wood.[3]

Description

[edit]

Podohedriella consists of single cells or colonies of two, four, or eight cells, which are attached by one end to a substrate. Cells are 17 to 50 μm long and 1.5 to 4 μm wide, and fusiform to crescent-shaped or sigmoidal in outline.[3] Cells are heteropolar; the apical and basal ends are both pointed, but the apical ends are more sharply so.[2] Cells contain a single nucleus and a single parietal chloroplast with pyrenoids; however, the pyrenoids lack a starch sheath.[2]

As with other algae in the family Selenastraceae, reproduction occurs exclusively via autospores.[2]

Taxonomy

[edit]

Podohedriella was circumscribed by the phycologist František Hindák in 1988.[3] He separated Podohedriella from the genus Podohedra by the absence of a pyrenoid.[3] Its autospores are also arranged in parallel (versus serially in Podohedra). The former characteristic is ambiguous; algae in the family Selenastraceae were often considered to lack pyrenoids. Pyrenoids are typically present, but may be impossible to view with light microscopy without staining.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ See the NCBI webpage on Podohedriella. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
  2. ^ a b c d e Krienitz, Lothar; Ustinova, Iana; Friedl, Thomas; Huss, Volker A. R. (2001). "Traditional generic concepts versus 18S rRNA gene phylogeny in the green algal family Selenastraceae (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta)". Journal of Phycology. 37 (5): 852–865. doi:10.1046/j.1529-8817.2001.01004.x. S2CID 84625065.
  3. ^ a b c d Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. "Podohedriella". AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. Retrieved 2023-06-02.