Kirchneriella
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kirchneriella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Kirchneriella lunaris | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Chlorophyceae |
| Order: | Sphaeropleales |
| Family: | Selenastraceae |
| Genus: | Kirchneriella Schmidle |
| Type species | |
| Kirchneriella lunaris (Kirchner) Möbius[1] | |
| Species | |
Kirchneriella is a genus of green algae in the family Selenastraceae.[2] It is found in freshwater habitats, as phytoplankton or metaphyton.[3]
The genus name of Kirchneriella is in honour of Emil Otto Oskar von Kirchner (1851–1925), who was a German botanist and agronomist.[4]
The genus was circumscribed by Wilhelm Schmidle in Ber. Naturf. Ges. Freiburg vol.7 on page 82 in 189.
Kirchneriella usually consists of colonies of cells within a thin layer of mucilage. Usually four to 16 are present within a colony, but sometimes they are solitary. Cells are crescent-shaped, containing a single chloroplast with one pyrenoid. They are irregularly distributed within the mucilage.[3]
Species are distinguished from each other based on cell size and shape.[5] The similar genus Pseudokirchneriella was split off from Kirchneriella; it differs from this genus in that its cells lack a pyrenoid.[3] Some authors do not recognize the two genera as being distinct.[6]
