Home / Greens / Colonial / Non-flagellated / Tetraspora
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Name derivation:
“Tetrads” -- groups of four cells – four Tetra- cells –spora
Classification:
Tetraspora Link ex Desvaux 1818; 8 of 25 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013). Order Chlamydomonadales; Family Tetrasporaceae Paulschulzia Skuja 1948 is considered a synonym in Phycokey.
Morphology:
Somewhat amorphous gelatinous colonies with cells occuring throughout in groups of four (tetrads). Individual spherical cells group together in pairs or sets of four within a mucus envelope. Within one spherical envelope there will be thousands of individual cells. Cells often have a pair of pseudo flagella protruding from the anterior end of the cell towards the exterior of the colony. The pseudo flagella are much longer than the cell.
Similar genera:
Apiocystis has – pear-shaped pouch containing cells.
Habitat:
Freshwater lakes, epiphytic to meroplanktonic, found on all continents but Antarctica, in temperate and warm waters.
References:
Desvaux, C. 1818. Observations sur les plantes des environs d'Angers, pour servir de supplément a la flore Maine et Loire, et de suite à l'histoire naturelle et critique des plantes de France. pp. 1-188. Angers and Paris: Fourier-Mame; Dondey-Dipré. Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 30 April 2013. Skuja, A. 1948. Taxonomie des Phytoplanktons einiger Seen in Uppland, Schweden. Symbolae Botanicae Upsalienses 9(3): 1-399.