The Mesotaeniaceae are a small family of unicellular
green alga
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 ( ...
e known as the "saccoderm desmids". The Mesotaeniaceae appear to be sister or ancestral to the
Zygnemataceae
The Zygnemataceae are a family of Algae#Morphology, filamentous or unicellular, uniseriate (unbranched) green algae. The filaments are septum, septated and reproduction is by Sexual conjugation, conjugation; ''Spirogyra'' is commonly used in scho ...
. The desmids are a deep branching group of Zygnemataceae. ''
Spirotaenia
''Spirotaenia'' is a genus of basal unicellular green algae that may be sister to the Chlorokybophyceae. It was previously considered to be part of the Zygnemataceae. It is sexually Isogamy#Conjugation, conjugating, a mode of reproduction that ...
'' was found to be a
basal green alga.
Genera
The Mesotaeniaceae includes the following genera:
[
]
* ''
Ancylonema
''Ancylonema'' is a genus of algae belonging to the family Mesotaeniaceae
The Mesotaeniaceae are a small family of unicellular green algae known as the "saccoderm desmids". The Mesotaeniaceae appear to be sister or ancestral to the Zygnematace ...
''
Berggren, 1872
* ''
Cylindrocystis
''Cylindrocystis'' is a genus of algae belonging to the family Mesotaeniaceae.
The species of this genus are found in Europe and America.
Species:
*''Cylindrocystis angulatum''
*''Cylindrocystis cylindrospora''
*''Cylindrocystis diplospora'' ...
''
Meneghini ex De Bary, 1858
* ''
Geniculus''
Prescott, 1967
* ''
Mesotaenium
''Mesotaenium'' is a genus of algae belonging to the family Mesotaeniaceae.
The species of this genus are found in Europe and Northern America.
Species:
*'' Mesotaenium aplanosporum''
*'' Mesotaenium berggrenii''
*'' Mesotaenium caldariorum'' ...
''
Nägeli, 1849
* ''
Netrium
''Netrium'' is a genus of algae belonging to the family Mesotaeniaceae
The Mesotaeniaceae are a small family of unicellular green algae known as the "saccoderm desmids". The Mesotaeniaceae appear to be sister or ancestral to the Zygnemataceae. ...
''
(Nägeli) Itzigsohn & Rothe, 1856
* ''
Nucleotaenium''
Gontcharov & Melkonian, 2010
* ''
Planotaenium''
(Ohtani) Petlovany & Palamar-Mordvintseva, 2009
* ''
Roya''
West & G.S.West, 1896
* ''
Tortitaenia''
A.J.Brook, 1998
Synonyms:
* ''Endospira''
Brébisson,
nom. inval., is a synonym of Spirotaenia
* ''Entospira'' Kuntze, 1898 is a synonym of ''Spirotaenia''
* ''Polytaenia''
A.J.Brook, 1997,
nom. illeg., is a synonym of ''Tortitaenia''
References
Zygnematales
Zygnematophyceae families
{{green algae-stub