Raphidocelis subcapitata
Species of alga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raphidocelis subcapitata, formerly known as Selenastrum capricornutum and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata is a microalga.[1] This microalga presents a curved and twisted appearance like a sickle. The cells are normally presented in a solitary form in culture, although it may also be present in small colonies. It has a length between 7 and 15 μm, and a width between 1.2 and 3 μm. A single chloroplast is present, filling nearly the entire cell; it lacks a pyrenoid.[2] It is commonly used as a bioindicator species to assess the levels of nutrients or toxic substances in fresh water environments. This species is quite sensitive to the presence of toxic substances including metals and has a ubiquitous distribution, so is broadly used in ecotoxicology.[3][4] This species has been found to be more competitive than Chlorella vulgaris at low sodium chloride concentrations, but C. vulgaris was more competitive under salt stress.[5][non-primary source needed]
| Raphidocelis subcapitata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Archaeplastida |
| Clade: | Viridiplantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Chlorophyceae |
| Order: | Sphaeropleales |
| Family: | Selenastraceae |
| Genus: | Raphidocelis |
| Species: | R. subcapitata |
| Binomial name | |
| Raphidocelis subcapitata (Korshikov) Nygaard, Komárek, J.Kristiansen & O.M.Skulberg | |
| Synonyms | |
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