''Spirotaenia'' is a genus of basal
green algae
The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ( Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alg ...
that may be sister to the
Chlorokybophyceae. It was previously considered to be part of the
Zygnemataceae. It is sexually
conjugating, a mode of reproduction that was previously only known in the
Zygnemataceae/
Mesotaeniaceae, the sister groups to the
land plants
The Embryophyta (), or land plants, are the most familiar group of green plants that comprise vegetation on Earth. Embryophytes () have a common ancestor with green algae, having emerged within the Phragmoplastophyta clade of green algae as sist ...
. This is surprising, as ''Spirotaenia'' is much more basal. The conjugating process is substantially aberrant. ''Spirotaenia'' may actually be more than one distinct lineage which may not be closely related.
Phylogeny
References
Green algae
{{Alga-stub