Home / Bacillariophyceae / Centric / Unicells / Corethron

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Name derivation:

 

Classification:

Corethron Castracane, 1886; 7 of 15 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013).

Order Corethrales;  Family Corethraceae

Morphology:

Centric diatom unicells are cylindrical and have convex dome-shaped valves, with several girdle bands. Conspicuous coronal spines (setae) exceed the length of the cell on each valve, and radiate away from the girdle at an acute angle.  In addition a ring of shorter and hooked spines occur on only one of the valves.  The cell contains several discoid to elongate chloroplasts.

Cell Size: Diameter (apical axis) = 20-40um, Length (pervalvar axis) = 20-150um

Distribution: Oceanic in the North Atlantic and North Pacific as well as Antarctic seas, sometimes found in inshore waters.

Similar genera:

 

Habitat:

Marine, mainly high latitude cold seawater.

References:

Castracane, [C.A.] F.  1886.  Report on the Diatomaceae collected by H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76.  Rept. Sci. Res. Voy. H.M.S. Challenger. Botany 2: 1-178.

Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 19 September 2013.