Picocystis | |
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Picocystis salinarum | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Clade: | Viridiplantae |
Division: | Chlorophyta |
Class: | Picocystophyceae Eikrem & Lopes dos Santos |
Order: | Picocystales Eikrem & Lopes dos Santos |
Family: | Picocystaceae Eikrem & Lopes dos Santos |
Genus: | Picocystis R.A.Lewin 2001 emend. Eikrem & Lopes dos Santos 2017 |
Species: | P. salinarum |
Binomial name | |
Picocystis salinarum R.A.Lewin 2001 | |
Picocystis is a monotypic genus of green algae, the sole species is Picocystis salinarum. [1] It is placed within its own class, Picocystophyceae in the division Chlorophyta. [2]
Picocystis salinarum cells under normal conditions have a spherical or oval shape. Their size ranges from 2 to 3 μm in diameter. Under conditions of nutrient depletion they appear to form a trillobe shape. This trillobe shape gives it the nickname Mickey Mouse, due to its appearance to the famous character's head. The general appearance resembles that of a standard green alga.
The pigments are composed mainly from chlorophyll a and b and the carotenoids violaxanthin, alloxanthin, monadoxanthin, neoxanthin, lutein, diatoxanthin and zeaxanthin. [3] [4]
The cell wall is mainly composed of polymers of the monosaccharide arabinose, polyarabinose. [3]
The species have been found in saline or hypersaline alkaline environments. [5] [6]