Home / Greens / Unicells / Non-flagellated / Chlorococcum

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Name derivation:

Green coccoid cell

 

Classification:

Chlorococcum  Meneghini  1842; 36 of 81 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013).

Order Chlorococcales;  Family Chlorococcaceae

Synonym:  Neochloris  Starr 1959, removed from a glass aquarium wall.

Synonyms: Spongiococcum, Neospongiococcum

 

Morphology:

Nonflagellated green unicells that become multinucleate prior to forming zoospores (biflagellated).

 

Similar genera:

Neochloris, Tetracystis ; Spongiochloris was separated from Chlorococcum (Starr 1955) but is retained in PhycoKey.

 

Habitat:

Soil, although freshwater, marine and aerial isolates have been found.

 

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 April 2013.

Deason, T.R. (1971). The genera Spongiococcum and Neospongiococcum. I. The genus Spongiococcum and the multinucleate species of the genus Neospongiococcum.  Phycologia 10: 17-27, 21 figs.

Starr, R.C.  1955.  A comparative study of Chlorococcum meneghini and other spherical, zoospore-producing genera of the Chlorococcales.  Indiana University Publications Science 20: 1-111.