| Pterosperma | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Pyramimonadophyceae |
| Order: | Pyramimonadales |
| Family: | Pterospermataceae |
| Genus: | Pterosperma Pouchet 1893 |
| Type species | |
| Pterosperma rotundum Pouchet1
| |
| Species | |
| |
Pterosperma is a genus of green algae in the order Pyramimonadales.2 It is found in the plankton of all oceans.1
Pterosperma consists of two life stages: a non-motile coccoid stage, called the phycoma stage (pl. phycomata), and a flagellated stage. The phycoma is spherical, 14–230 μm in diameter, with two layers of cell walls. The inner wall is delicate, while the outer wall is tough and bears one or more wings protruding out, dividing the cell into two halves or into multiple polygonal areas. Mature phycomata contain a single nucleus and several chloroplasts, each with a pyrenoid.1
Pterosperma divides asexually in the phycoma stage, forming a large number of flagellate swarmer cells. Swarmers have four long flagella (several times longer than the cell body), and contain a single chloroplast with a pyrenoid, but no eyespot. The cell body is covered with three layers of organic scales, and the flagella are also covered with multiple layers of cells.1
The life cycle of Pterosperma is associated with the lunar cycle. The release of swarmers coincides typically occurs within two to three days of the new moon or full moon.3
References
References
- Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. "Pterosperma Pouchet, 1893". AlgaeBase. University of Galway. Retrieved 2026-05-09.
- See the NCBI webpage on Pterosperma. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- Parke, Mary; Boalch, G. T.; Jowett, Rosemary; Harbour, D. S. (1978). "The Genus Pterosperma (Prasinophyceae): Species with a Single Equatorial Ala". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 58: 239–276. doi:10.1017/S0025315400024528.