Home / Synurophyceae / Spiniferomonas
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Name derivation:
Classification:
Spiniferomonas E.Takahashi 1973; 13 of 24 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013). Order Synurales; Family Synuraceae (Guiry and Guiry 20123); or Order Chromulinales and Family Paraphysomonadaceae (Kristiansen and Preisig (2001). Synonym: Chromophysomonas Preisig and Hibberd 1982. See discussion in Nicholls (1985).
Morphology:
Photosynthetic flagellated unicells, spherical to ovid, with siliceous scales and spines at the anterior end that may be visible only with electron microscopy. Flagella are of unequal length. Onc chloroplast per cell.
Similar genera:
Ochromonas lacks scales and spines.
Habitat:
Freshwater lakes, rarely reported. Peter Siver (1988) found 13 of 15 known species in Connecticut USA lakes, the first reports of most in the USA, and found the genus to be present in > 37% of 113 lake samples. The pH tolerance was < 5.5 to > 8.5. S. trioralis was most the most common species.
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 16 January 2013. Kristiansen, J., and H.R. Preisig (Eds.) 2001. Encyclopedia of Chrysophyte Genera. Bibliotheca Phycologica 110: 1-260. Nicholls, K.H. 1985. The validity of the genus Spiniferomonas (Chrysophyceae). Nordic Journal of Botany 5:403-406. Preisig, H.R., and D.J. Hibberd 1982. Ultrastructure and taxonomy of Paraphysomonas (Chrysophyceae) and related genera 1. Nordic Journal of Botany 2:397-420. Siver, P. A. 1988. The distribution and ecology of Spiniferomonas (Chrysophyecea) in Connecticut (USA). Nordic Journal of Botany 8:205-212. Takahashi, E. 1973. Studies on genera Mallomonas and Synura, and other plankton in freshwater with the electron microscope. VIII. New genusSpiniferomonas of the Synuraceae (Chrysophyceae). Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 86: 75-88.