Home / Chlorophyceae / Unicells / Non-flagellated / Golenkinia
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Name derivation:
After Mikhail Iljitsch Golenkin, Russian phycologist.
Classification:
Golenkinia Chodat 1894; 7 of 20 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013). Order Sphaeropleales; Family Neochloridaceae Synonym in PhycoKey - Golenkiniopsis , Trochiscia Can be confused with the Heliozoan Acanthocystis that contains multiple endobiotic discoid chloroplasts of Zoochlorella. Golenkinia has nonbifurcate bristles, while Acanthocystis has bifurcate bristles. Focus carefully at x400 on the spine termini.
Morphology:
Spherical Unicells, ~ 60 µM diameter, chloroplast singular and cup-shaped, The cell also projects a large number of nonbifurcate thin spines or bristles uniformly distributed over the cell surface. No sheath is evident, but is reported elsewhere (John et al. 2002). The bristles are transparent and may be missed in bright-field microscopy unless contrast is optimized.
Similar genera:
Trochiscia is not separated from Golenkinia in PhycoKey, even though some species may have different wall ornamentation and shorter spines.
Habitat:
Freshwater ponds
References:
Chodat, R. 1894. Golenkinia genre nouveau de Protococcoidées. Journal de Botanique [Morot] 8: 305-308, pl. III. Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 05 August 2013. John, D.M., B.A. Whitton, A.J. Brook 2002. The freshwater algal flora of the British Isles. Cambridge.