Oocystis Nägeli ex A.Braun, 1855

Holotype species: Oocystis naegelii A.Braun

Original publication and holotype designation: Braun, A. (1855). Algarum unicellularium genera nova et minus cognita praemissis observationibus de algis unicellularibus in genere. pp. 114, 6 plates. Leipzig: W. Engelmann.

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Description: Cells solitary or in 2-4-8-(?16)-celled colonies within a thin, hyaline mucilaginous envelope or within an expanded mother cell wall. Colony oval to ellipsoid, up to 77 &m in diameter. Cells fusiform, ellipsoid, oval to nearly spherical, 7-46 x 12-50 &m. Cell wall smooth, sometimes with polar thickenings. Chloroplast one to many, parietal, bowl-shaped or discoid, without a pyrenoid. Asexual reproduction by 2-4-8-(16) autospores released by rupture of the mother cell wall. Sexual reproduction and flagellated stages unknown. Oocystis planktonic, predominantly freshwater; cosmopolitan. Komárek & Fott (1983) list 28 species with an additional 16 species designated as incompletely described or difficult to identify. Hindák (1988), based upon Skuja's (1964) examination of the type material the cells of which lack pyrenoids, assigns to the genus Oocystis only those forms without a pyrenoid and lists 8 species for the genus; he assigns 17 species possessing a pyrenoid, four new species and thirteen species included in the genus Oocystis by Komárek & Fott (1983) to Oocystella Lemmermann.

Information contributed by: G. Dillard. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2015-11-11 by M.D. Guiry.

Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.

Gender: This genus name is currently treated as feminine.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Tsarenko, P.M. (2011). Trebouxiophyceae. In: Algae of Ukraine: diversity, nomenclature, taxonomy, ecology and geography. Volume 3: Chlorophyta. (Tsarenko, P.M., Wasser, S.P. & Nevo, E. Eds), pp. 61-108. Ruggell: A.R.A. Gantner Verlag K.-G..

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Contributors
Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in CD format. These AlgaeBase descriptions are now being continually updated, and each current contributor is identified above. The PSA and AlgaeBase warmly acknowledge the generosity of all past and present contributors and particularly the work of Dr Parker.

Descriptions of chrysophyte genera were subsequently published in J. Kristiansen & H.R. Preisig (eds.). 2001. Encyclopedia of Chrysophyte Genera. Bibliotheca Phycologica 110: 1-260.

Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=43441

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 11 November 2015. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 23 November 2024