Bracteacoccus

Bracteacoccus
Bracteacoccus aggregatus
Scientific classification
Clade:	Viridiplantae
Division:	Chlorophyta
Class:	Chlorophyceae
Order:	Sphaeropleales
Family:	Bracteacoccaceae P.M.Tsarenko
Genus:	Bracteacoccus Tereg, 1922[1]
Type species
Bracteacoccus aggregatus Tereg[1]
Species
See text

Bracteacoccus is a genus of green algae, the sole genus of the family Bracteacoccaceae.[1] It is a terrestrial alga commonly found in soils, from the tropics to the poles.[2]

History

Bracteacoccus was described by E. Tereg in 1922, based on the species Bracteacoccus aggregatus.[2] Later it was synonymized with the genus Dictyococcus, until Richard C. Starr reestablished the genus.[3]

Description

Bracteacoccus consists of solitary, typically spherical cells from 4 to 110 μm in diameter.[2] Mature cells have multiple nuclei (i.e. are multinucleate). Each cell has multiple chloroplasts lining the outer wall of the cell; each chloroplast is angular in shape and lacks pyrenoids.[4]

Bracteacoccus reproduces asexually by producing zoospores. The zoospores have two flagella which are slightly unequal in length. Bracteacoccus may also reproduce by producing non-motile aplanospores.[2]

Morphologically, the genus is essentially indistinguishable from Pseudomuriella and Chromochloris, except for the fact that the latter two genera do not take up fluorescent dyes as easily.[5] The three genera are phylogenetically distinct.[2] It is also similar to the genus Dictyococcus, but Dictyococcus has chloroplasts which are inflected inwards.[3]

Genera

As of February 2022^[update], AlgaeBase accepted the following species:[1]

• Bracteacoccus aerius H.W.Bischoff & Bold
• Bracteacoccus aggregatus Tereg
• Bracteacoccus anomalus (E.J.James) R.C.Starr
• Bracteacoccus bohemiensis Fuciková, Flechtner & L.A.Lewis
• Bracteacoccus bullatus Fuciková, Flechtner & L.A.Lewis
• Bracteacoccus deserticola Fuciková, Flechtner & L.A.Lewis
• Bracteacoccus giganteus H.W.Bischoff & Bold
• Bracteacoccus glacialis Fuciková, Flechtner & L.A.Lewis
• Bracteacoccus grandis H.W.Bischoff & Bold
• Bracteacoccus medionucleatus H.W.Bischoff & Bold
• Bracteacoccus minor (Schmidle ex Chodat) Petrová
• Bracteacoccus occidentalis Fuciková, Flechtner & L.A.Lewis
• Bracteacoccus polaris Fuciková, Flechtner & L.A.Lewis
• Bracteacoccus pseudominor H.W.Bischoff & Bold
• Bracteacoccus ruber Novis & Visnovsky
• Bracteacoccus xerophilus Fuciková, Flechtner & L.A.Lewis

A further species, Bracteacoccus helveticus (Kol & F.Chodat) Starr, was regarded as of "uncertain taxonomic status".[1]

References

1. Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. "Bracteacoccus". AlgaeBase. University of Galway. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
2. Fučíková, Karolina; Flechtner, Valerie R.; Lewis, Louise A. (2012). "Revision of the genus Bracteacoccus Tereg (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta) based on a phylogenetic approach". Nova Hedwigia. 96 (1–2): 15–59. doi:10.1127/0029-5035/2012/0067.
3. Fučíková, Karolina; Rada, Jared C.; Lewis, Louise A. (2011). "The tangled taxonomic history of Dictyococcus, Bracteacoccus and Pseudomuriella (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta) and their distinction based on a phylogenetic perspective". Phycologia. 50 (4): 422–429. doi:10.2216/10-69.1. S2CID 84281955.
4. Bicudo, Carlos E. M.; Menezes, Mariângela (2006). Gêneros de Algas de Águas Continentais do Brasil: chave para identificação e descrições (2 ed.). RiMa Editora. p. 508. ISBN 857656064X.
5. Fučíková, Karolina; Lewis, Louise A. (2012). "Intersection of Chlorella, Muriella and Bracteacoccus: Resurrecting the genus Chromochloris Kol et Chodat (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta)". Fottea. 12: 83–93. doi:10.5507/fot.2012.007.