Chlorococcaceae
| Chlorococcaceae | |
|---|---|
| Ambystoma maculatum egg mass at the University of Mississippi Field Station. Symbiotic Oophila amblystomatis algae (green) is visible surrounding each developing larva. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| (unranked): | Viridiplantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Chlorophyceae |
| Order: | Chlamydomonadales |
| Family: | Chlorococcaceae Blackman & Tansley, 1902 |
| Genera | |
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See text. | |
Chlorococcaceae is a family of green algae, in the order Chlamydomonadales. They are mostly soil-dwelling algae. Many members of this group produce lipids and secondary carotenoids.
The Chlorococcaceae consists mostly of coccoid (single, nonmotile) cells with one parietal or central chloroplast and one or multiple nuclei. The chloroplast contains a single pyrenoid surrounded by a starch envelope. The cell envelope may thicken with age and develop into a mucilaginous stalk in some species. Reproduction consists of zoospores with a cell wall; after they stop swimming, the zoospores retain their shape.
The family Chlorococcaceae is currently under taxonomic revision. Currently, the type genus Chlorococcum is polyphyletic and the status of its type species, Chlorococcum infusionum, is unclear.