Home / Prymnesiophyceae / Pavlova
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Name derivation:
Apparently derived, as is the famous dessert, from the famous Russian ballerina -- Anna Pavlova (Matveïevna) Pavlova (Russian: А́нна Па́вловна (Матве́евна) . See Butcher (1952).
Classification:
Pavlova Butcher 1952; 6 of 12 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013). Order Pavlovales; Family Pavlovaceae
Morphology:
Ellipsoid biflagellate unicells 4 – 10 µm long, with a short haptonema (Throndsen 1997). Conspicuous eyespot near a ‘flagellar pit’ at the anterior end.
Similar genera:
Isochrysis
Habitat:
Commercial use:
Pavlova is rich in DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid valuable in aquaculture as food for rotifers that in turn are consumed by mollusks, shrimp and young fish
References:
Butcher, R.W. 1952. Contributions to our knowledge of the smaller marine algae. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 31: 175–191. 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. Throndsen, J. 1997. The planktonic marine flagellates. In: Identifying marine phytoplankton. Tomas, C.R. (Ed.).