Westella De Wildeman, 1897
Holotype species: Westella botryoides (West) De Wildeman
Original publication and holotype designation: De Wildeman, É. (1897). Encore le Pleurococcus nimbatus DeWild. Bulletin de l'Herbier Boissier 5: 532 only.
Request PDFDescription: Thalli colonial, forming mostly 4- celled coenobia to 15 µm, commonly aggregated to form spherical to irregular, compound colonies to over 100 cells and up to 90 µm in diameter; in colonies individual coenobia connected by remnants of sporangial walls. Structureless mucilaginous envelope present. 4-celled coenobia with or without central space among cells. Cells spherical but flattened where in contact with other cells, 3-13 µm in diameter, with smooth cell walls. Cells uninucleate; chloroplast single and parietal with single pyrenoid. Asexual reproduction by autospores, 4-8 spores per sporangium; if 4, tetrahedrally arranged; if 8, in tetrads forming two coenobia. Coenobia released by rupture of parental cell wall on outer face of cell; fragments of sporangial walls remain visible in colonies and attach coenobia within colony. Flagellated stages and sexual reproduction unknown. Westella planktonic in freshwater in rivers and ponds; reported from Europe and both continental North America as well as Cuba. Genus also placed in Dictyosphaeriaceae or Coelastraceae by various authors. Different treatments contradictory with regard to presence or absence of mucilaginous envelope. A second species, Westella linearis Smith is type species of Westellopsis.
Information contributed by: D. Garbary and E. Hegewald. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2023-06-07 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). Sphaeropleales. In: Algae of Ukraine: diversity, nomenclature, taxonomy, ecology and geography. Volume 3: Chlorophyta. (Tsarenko, P.M., Wasser, S.P. & Nevo, E. Eds), pp. 280-355. Ruggell: A.R.A. Gantner Verlag K.-G..
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Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera,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=43506
Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 07 June 2023. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 23 November 2024
