| Hyalochlorella | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Clade: | Viridiplantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Trebouxiophyceae |
| Order: | Chlorellales |
| Family: | Oocystaceae |
| Genus: | Hyalochlorella R.O.Poyton, 1970 |
| Species: | H. marina |
| Binomial name | |
| Hyalochlorella marina R.O.Poyton, 1970 | |
Hyalochlorella marina, the only species in the genus Hyalochlorella and also known as Dermocystidium sp., is a marine heterotrophic eukaryote with uncertain phylogenic position. [1] [2]
Hyalochlorella marina was first classified as a fungus under the name Dermocystidium sp. [3] Based morphology and development, it has been classified as a Chlorophyta related to Chlorella but different from the parasite microalgae Prototheca . [1] It also shows similarities to more recently described Ichthyosporea Sphaeroforma species, in particular Sphaeroforma tapetis (previously known as Pseudoperkinsus tapetis). [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
It is an epiphyte of marine seaweeds but has also been isolated from seawater. Hyalochlorella is found on several shores of east and west coast of the United States, [9] Canada, [10] the United Kingdom, [2] [11] and off the Faroe Islands. [12]