Pseudomuriella is a genus of green algae, specifically of the class Chlorophyceae. It is the sole genus of the family Pseudomuriellaceae.[1] It is a terrestrial alga that inhabits soils.[4]
Description
Pseudomuriella consists of solitary, spheroidal cells surrounded by a smooth cell wall. Young cells have a single nucleus, but mature cells have nuclei (i.e. are multinucleate). Each cell has multiple chloroplasts lining the outside of the cell; each chloroplast is saucer-shaped when young and divided into multiple segments when older. Chloroplasts lack pyrenoids.[3] Cells may have secondary carotenoids present, giving the cells an orange color especially when old.[3]Pseudomuriella reproduces asexually, mainly by autospores,[3] but sometimes by aplanospores or biflagellated zoospores as well.[4]
Morphologically, the genus is essentially indistinguishable from Bracteacoccus and Chromochloris, although Pseudomuriella seems to reproduce mostly by autospores.[3] Molecular data is necessary for a reliable identification.[5]
^ abHanagata, Nobutaka (1998). "Phylogeny of the subfamily Scotiellocystoideae (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta) and related taxa inferred from 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequence data". Journal of Phycology. 34 (6): 1049–1054. doi:10.1046/j.1529-8817.1998.341049.x.
^ abcdefFučíková, 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.
^ abFučíková, Karolina; Lewis, Paul O.; Lewis, Louise A. (2014). "Putting incertae sedis taxa in their place: A proposal for ten new families and three new genera in Sphaeropleales (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta)". Journal of Phycology. 50 (1): 14–25. doi:10.1111/jpy.12118. PMID26988005. S2CID24770288.
