| Radiococcus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Radiococcus nimbatus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Chlorophyceae |
| Order: | Sphaeropleales |
| Family: | Radiococcaceae |
| Genus: | Radiococcus Schmidle, 1902 |
| Type species | |
| Radiococcus nimbatus (De Wildeman) Schmidle1
| |
| Species1 | |
| |
Radiococcus is a genus of green algae in the family Radiococcaceae.2 It is found in the plankton of freshwater habitats.1
Radiococcus consists of colonies of cells embedded in a mucilage; the mucilage may have radial striations. Cells are 3–15 μm in diameter, often grouped into tetrads or arranged in a ring. The cell walls are mostly smooth, although in some species they may be warty (verrucose). Cells have a single nucleus and a single parietal chloroplast with one pyrenoid.1
Radiococcus reproduces asexually via the formation of autospores. Four to eight autospores are produced per sporangium; they are released when the mother cell wall fragments. Cell wall fragments remain in the mucilage for some time before dissolving.1
Radiococcus is considered an ill-defined genus in need of taxonomic revision.3 It is similar to Planktosphaeria, which has multiple chloroplasts per cell,4 and Korschpalmella, which lacks pyrenoids.1
References
References
- Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. "Radiococcus Schmidle, 1902". AlgaeBase. University of Galway. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
- See the NCBI webpage on Radiococcus. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- John, David M.; Whitton, Brian A.; Brook, Alan J. (2021). The Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles (2 ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 896. doi:10.1017/CHOL9781108784122. ISBN 978-1-108-78412-2.
- Kostikov, I.; Darienko, T.; Lukešová, A.; Hoffmann, L. (2002). "Revision of the classification system of Radiococcaceae Fott ex Komárek (except the subfamily Dictyochlorelloideae) (Chlorophyta)". Archiv für Hydrobiologie Supplement. 104: 23–58.