''Attheya'' is a genus of small single celled
diatom
A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma'') is any member of a large group comprising several Genus, genera of algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. Living diatoms make up a significant portion of Earth's B ...
s. Some of these species were earlier regarded to belong to ''
Chaetoceros
''Chaetoceros'' is a genus of diatoms in the family Chaetocerotaceae, first described by the German naturalist C. G. Ehrenberg in 1844. Species of this genus are mostly found in marine habitats, but a few species exist in freshwater. It is ...
'', or to ''
Gonioceros'', the taxonomic status of some of these species are still debated.
[Crawford, R.M., Hinz, F. and Koschinski, P. 2000. The combination of ''Chaetoceros gaussii'' (Bacillariophyta) with ''Attheya''. Phycologia 39(3):238-244.]
Description
They are distinguished morphologically from ''
Chaetoceros
''Chaetoceros'' is a genus of diatoms in the family Chaetocerotaceae, first described by the German naturalist C. G. Ehrenberg in 1844. Species of this genus are mostly found in marine habitats, but a few species exist in freshwater. It is ...
'' by the structure of valve outgrowths or girdle bands. The girdle bands can only be seen with an electron microscope.
[Crawford, R. M., Gardner, C., Medlin, L. K. 1994. The genus ''Attheya''. I. A description of four new taxa, and the transfer of ''Gonioceros septentrionalis'' and ''G. armatus''. ''Diatom research''. 9:27-51.] Resting spores are seldom observed. Vegetative cells tend to attach to different substrates, including other diatoms,
[Tomas, C. R., Hasle G. R., Syvertsen, E. E., Steidinger, K. A., Tangen, K., Throndsen, J., Heimdal, B. R., (1997). ''Identifying Marine Phytoplankton'', Academic Press.] and are sometimes referred to as
epiphytic
An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...
. However, they are also observed to be
planktonic
Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in water (or air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they pro ...
.
Species
*''
Attheya arenicola'' C. Gardner & R. M. Crawford
*''
Attheya armata'' (T. West) R. M. Crawford
*''
Attheya decora'' T. West
*''
Attheya flexuosa var. enodulifer'' C. Gardner
*''
Attheya flexuosa'' C. Gardner
*''
Attheya gaussii'' (Heiden) R. M. Crawford
*''
Attheya lata'' Wooszynska
*''
Attheya longicornis'' R. M. Crawford & C. Gardner
*''
Attheya septentrionalis'' (Østrup) Crawford
*''
Attheya ussurensis'' Stonik, Orlova & Crawford
*''
Attheya zachariasii var. curvata'' P. Rivera
*''
Attheya zachariasii'' Brun
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q4034555, from2=Q21222594
Diatom genera
Enigmatic eukaryote taxa
Coscinodiscophyceae