''Wislouchia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

chlorophyte Chlorophyta is a division (botany), 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 ea ...

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 ...

. The name was first published in 2021, as a

replacement name In biological nomenclature, a ''nomen novum'' (Latin for "new name"), replacement name (or new replacement name, new substitute name, substitute name) is a replacement scientific name that is created when technical, nomenclatural reasons have mad ...

for ''Raciborskiella''. , it was the only genus in the family Wislouchiaceae. The genus synonym name of ''Raciborskiella'' was in honour of Marjan (Mariyan) Raciborski (1863-1917), who was a Polish

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

(Mycology, Algology and Bryology), plant collector and

Palaeontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

, Professor of Botany at Lemberg University (Ukraine) in 1909. It was named by botanist Stanislav Michailovic Wislouch (1875-1927), who the new genus is named after. ''Wislouchia'' contains two species found in fresh or brackish water.

Description

''Wislouchia'' consists of colonies of 2–16 cells, which are ovoid and radially arranged with their narrow posterior ends attached to each other. Cells have two

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 lack cellulosic

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, ...

s. The

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 ...

is single, parietal and contains a basal

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 ...

. The anterior of the cell has a narrow eyespot. Contractile vacuoles are lacking. Asexual reproduction occurs by the longitudinal division of cells, which increase the number of cells in a colony. These cells may be released from the colony and thereby form new colonies. Sexual reproduction is

isogamous Isogamy is a form of sexual reproduction that involves gametes of the same morphology (indistinguishable in shape and size), and is found in most unicellular eukaryotes. Because both gametes look alike, they generally cannot be classified as ma ...

References

Chlamydomonadales genera Chlamydomonadales {{Chlorophyceae-stub