Home / Diatoms / Centric / Unicells/ Hyalodiscus
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Name derivation:
"Foot chain" -- Foot Podo- chain –seira. Genus originally described by Ehrenberg. [The generic name Hyalodiscus is also used for a heterotrophic amoeba (Page and Willumsen 1980).]
Classification:
Hyalodiscus Ehrenberg, 1845. There are 17 species of which 11 have been taxonomically accepted. Order Melosirales, Family Coscinodiscaceae
Morphology:
Unicells occasionally form chains of two or three cells. Cells spherical to sub-spherical. Approximately 12 irregularly discoid plastids. Benthic, attached by several thick polysaccharide stalks to seaweeds. Valves hemispherical or watch-glass-shaped; no distinct valve mantle.
Similar genera:
Podosira has more convex, dome-shaped valves
Habitat:
Marine shallow benthos, attached by mucilage ‘pads’ to substrate.
References:
Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 19 September 2013. Page, F.C., and N.B.S. Willumsen 1980. Some observations on Gocevia placopus (Hülsmann, 1974) an amoeba with a flexible test, and on Gocevia-like organisms from Denmark, with comments on the genera Gocevia and Hyalodiscus. J. Natural History 14:413-431.

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