Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 16, 2026

Elliptochloris

Elliptochloris is a genus of green algae in the order Prasiolales. Species of this genus are common and found in a variety of terrestrial habitats such as soils. Some species in the genus are photobiont partners in lichens. One species, E. marina, is a symbiont within two species of sea anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima and A. xanthogrammica. It seems to have a worldwide distribution.

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Elliptochloris
Elliptochloris bilobata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Chlorophyta
Class: Trebouxiophyceae
Order: incertae sedis
Family: incertae sedis
Genus: Elliptochloris
Tscherm.-Woess1
Species1
  • Elliptochloris antarctica (Tschermak-Woess & Friedmann) Darienko & Pröschold
  • Elliptochloris bilobata Tschermak-Woess
  • Elliptochloris incisiformis L.Hoffmann & I.Kostikov
  • Elliptochloris marina Letsch
  • Elliptochloris perforata Hoffmann & Kostikov
  • Elliptochloris philistinensis Novis & Visnovsky
  • Elliptochloris reniformis Darienko & Pröschold
  • Elliptochloris subsphaerica (Reisigl) Ettl & G.Gärtner

Elliptochloris is a genus of green algae in the order Prasiolales.1 Species of this genus are common and found in a variety of terrestrial habitats such as soils.2 Some species in the genus are photobiont partners in lichens.3 One species, E. marina, is a symbiont within two species of sea anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima and A. xanthogrammica.4 It seems to have a worldwide distribution.5

Description

Elliptochloris consists of solitary cells which are spherical to ellipsoidal, or cylindrical or slightly curved. Cells contain a single parietal chloroplast which may be band-shaped, trough-shaped, hollow and spherical; the chloroplasts may be lobed or not, and with or without a pyrenoid. Cells contain a single nucleus.6

Reproduction occurs by the formation of autospores, which come in two different morphologies: S-type, which are larger, ellipsoidal and formed in groups of 2–4 per sporangium, and E-type, which are smaller, rod-shaped, and formed in groups of 16-32 per sporangium. The formation of two different autospore morphologies is characteristic for Elliptochloris.6 However, some strains (for example SAG 2200) only produce one type of autospores,2 and when found as photobionts in lichens, the algae tend to only produce S-type autospores.5

Phylogenetics

Elliptochloris forms a monophyletic clade that is sister to Coccomyxa.2

References

References

  1. Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. "Elliptochloris". AlgaeBase. University of Galway. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  2. Darienko, T.; Gustavs, L. & Pröschold, T. (2016). "Species concept and nomenclatural changes within the genera Elliptochloris and Pseudochlorella (Trebouxiophyceae) based on an integrative approach". Journal of Phycology. 52 (6): 1125–1145. doi:10.1111/jpy.12481. PMID 27734501.
  3. Sanders, William B.; Masumoto, Hiroshi (2021). "Lichen algae: the photosynthetic partners in lichen symbioses". The Lichenologist. 53 (5): 347–393. doi:10.1017/S0024282921000335.
  4. Letsch, Molly R.; Muller-Parker, Gisèle; Friedl, Thomas; Lewis, Louise A. (2009). "Elliptochloris marina sp. nov. (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta), symbiotic green alga of the temperate pacific sea anemones Anthopleura xanthogrammica and A. elegantissima (Anthozoa, Cnidaria)". Journal of Phycology. 45 (5): 1127–1135. doi:10.1111/j.1529-8817.2009.00727.x. PMID 27032358.
  5. Gustavs, Lydia; Schiefelbein, Ulf; Darienko, Tatyana; Pröschold, Thomas (2017). "Symbioses of the Green Algal Genera Coccomyxa and Elliptochloris (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta)". Algal and Cyanobacteria Symbioses. pp. 169–208. doi:10.1142/9781786340580_0006. ISBN 978-1-78634-057-3.
  6. Ettl, Hanuš; Gärtner, Georg (2013). Syllabus der Boden-, Luft- und Flechtenalgen (in German) (2nd ed.). Springer-Verlag. ISBN 9783642394614.