Characiellopsis

Characiellopsis
Scientific classification
Clade:	Viridiplantae
Division:	Chlorophyta
Class:	Chlorophyceae
Order:	Sphaeropleales
Family:	Characiaceae
Genus:	Characiellopsis M.O.P.Iyengar, 1975
Type species
Characiellopsis anophelesii M.O.P.Iyengar[1]
Species[1]
Characiellopsis anophelesii Characiellopsis skujae

Characiellopsis is a genus of green algae in the family Characiaceae. Two species are known: Characiellopsis anophelesii and Characiellopsis skujae.[1]

Description

Characiellopsis consists of solitary cells that are elongate and attached to a substrate via a pad of mucilage. Cells contain a single central nucleus. Young cells contain a single chloroplast, while older cells contain multiple; each chloroplast has a single pyrenoid. Cells reproduce by 2-flagellated zoospores. These zoospore escape from the tip of the mother cell via a tear in the mother cell's wall.[2]

Species

Characiellopsis anophelesii consists of solitary cells that are attached to mosquito (Anopheles) larvae.[2]

Characiellopsis skujae consists of solitary cells that are elongated to ovoid, attached to a surface via a thick stalk. The cell walls are very thick, and the tip of the cell has a refractive ring-shaped structure visible in light microscopy. Cells contain a single chloroplast filling the cell, each with a single pyrenoid. The apical ring structure is very distinctive, and it shares this characteristic with another taxon, Characium obtusum; the two species are probably synonymous.[3]

References

1. Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. "Characiellopsis". AlgaeBase. University of Galway.
2. Iyengar, M. O. P. (1975). "Contributions to our knowledge of South Indian Algae—VIII". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences. 81: 29–60. doi:10.1007/BF03050744. S2CID 198139654.
3. Hindák, František; Hindáková, Alica (2008). "Morphology and taxonomy of some rare chlorococcalean algae (Chlorophyta)". Biologia. 63 (6): 781–790. doi:10.2478/s11756-008-0099-7. S2CID 21886470.