Chloropicophyceae is a class of

green algae The green algae (: green alga) are a group of chlorophyll-containing autotrophic eukaryotes consisting of the phylum Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister group that contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ...

in the division

Chlorophyta Chlorophyta is a division of green algae informally called chlorophytes. Description Chlorophytes are eukaryotic organisms composed of cells with a variety of coverings or walls, and usually a single green chloroplast in each cell. They are ...

that, along with

Picocystophyceae ''Picocystis'' is a monotypic genus of green algae, the sole species is ''Picocystis salinarum''. It is placed within its own class, Picocystophyceae in the division Chlorophyta. Structure ''Picocystis salinarum'' cells under normal conditions ...

, coincides with the traditional " prasinophyte clade VII". Chloropicophyceae has a single order, Chloropicales with a single family, Chloropicaceae.

Description

Members of this class are coccoid green cells, with a diameter of 1.5–4 μm, found in marine waters, with one

nucleus Nucleus (: nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to: *Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom *Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA Nucleu ...

, one

mitochondrion A mitochondrion () is an organelle found in the cell (biology), cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double lipid bilayer, membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine tri ...

, and one

chloroplast A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle, organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant cell, plant and algae, algal cells. Chloroplasts have a high concentration of chlorophyll pigments which captur ...

surrounded by two membranes, containing starch grain; their single chloroplast has chlorophylls '' a'' and '' b''; they lack

pyrenoid Pyrenoids are sub-cellular phase-separated micro-compartments found in chloroplasts of many algae,Giordano, M., Beardall, J., & Raven, J. A. (2005). CO2 concentrating mechanisms in algae: mechanisms, environmental modulation, and evolution. ''An ...

and

flagella A flagellum (; : flagella) (Latin for 'whip' or 'scourge') is a hair-like appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, from fungal spores ( zoospores), and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many pr ...

; and they have a layered

cell wall A cell wall is a structural layer that surrounds some Cell type, cell types, found immediately outside the cell membrane. It can be tough, flexible, and sometimes rigid. Primarily, it provides the cell with structural support, shape, protection, ...

. Their

sexual reproduction Sexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that involves a complex life cycle in which a gamete ( haploid reproductive cells, such as a sperm or egg cell) with a single set of chromosomes combines with another gamete to produce a zygote tha ...

is unknown.

Taxonomy

In total, this class contains eight newly described species, belonging to two genera. The taxonomy goes as follows: *Division

Reichenbach 1834 ** Class Chloropicophyceae Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 *** Order Chloropicales Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 **** Family Chloropicaceae Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 ***** Genus '' Chloropicon'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 ****** ''Chloropicon sieburthii'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 (type species) ****** ''Chloropicon primus'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 ****** ''Chloropicon roscoffensis'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 ****** ''Chloropicon mariensis'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 ****** ''Chloropicon laureae'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 ****** ''Chloropicon maureeniae'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 ***** Genus '' Chloroparvula'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 ****** ''Chloroparvula pacifica'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017 (type species) ****** ''Chloroparvula japonica'' Lopes dos Santos & Eikrem 2017

Phylogeny

In the 2017 article where the new class is described, it is shown as the sister clade of the class

. The internal relationships are shown in the tree below, which is a simplified version of the phylogenetic tree elaborated in the research:

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from1=Q84551087, from2=Q84550989, from3=Q65151860 Chlorophyta Chlorophyta families