Home / Raphidiophyceae / Merotrichia
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Name derivation:
Gr. meros - part or partial; Gr. trich - hair (trichocysts)
Classification:
Merotrichia Mereschkowsky 1877; each of 2 species descriptions is accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013). Order Chattonellales; Family Vacuolariaceae
Morphology:
Elliptical biflagellate unicell, circular in cross section, with a nearly rigid periplast. Flagella are inserted laterally near the anterior end of the cell. A cluster of trichocysts is radiates from the cell apex, and often there are a few more trichocysts located laterally on the cell membrane (Smith 1950).
Similar genera:
Habitat:
Freshwater. Found in North America in the Keweenaw Peninsula (Jason Oyadomari), MI USA, in a pond in MA USA (Smith 1950) and some ponds in NC (Whitford and Schumacher 1969). Also appears on a checklist of freshwater algae in Australia with no further documentation.
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 10 September 2013. Mereschkowsky, K.S. 1877. Etjudy nad prostejsimi zivotnymi severa Rossii. Trudy Sankt-Peterburgskago Obshchestva Estestvoisptatele 8: 1-299. Smith, G.M. 1950. The freshwater algae of the United States (2^nd edition). McGraw-Hill. (719 pp.) Whitford, L.A. and G.J. Schumacher 1969. A manual of the fresh-water algae in North Carolina. North Carolina Agricultural.