Characiaceae

Abstract: Summary: Chlorococcales of the Colombian Amazon. II. In this paper 41 taxa belonging to the families Coelastraceae, Chlorococcaceae, Radiococcaceae, Palmellaceae, Oocystaceae, Characiaceae, Treubariaceae, Botryococcaceae, Micractiniaceae and Hydrodictyaceae of the order Chlorococcales were recorded. The material studied was collected in rivers and lakes from Colombian Amazon basin. Among the total taxa recorded, 20 are new for Colombia and 10 are new for the Colombian region of the basin. The family best represented in terms of species richness was Oocystaceae, with 10 taxa, and the largest number of taxa was found in lakes Yahuarcaca (Amazon River).

Abstract: The study of algae is very attractive due to their prehistoric and cosmopolitan nature. Algae are capable to survive in uncertain environment. Peshawar has many rivers and lakes i.e. River Kabul, Adezai, Naguman, Shah Alam and Bara River, where fresh water algae may exist abundantly, but very little notice has been paid to the algal diversity of all these rivers of Peshawar. To investigate the algae of Sheikh Muhammadi area of District Peshawar, a comprehensive study was conducted during 2013. A total of 22 algal species belonging to 10 families were recorded. Among them Oedogoniaceae appeard as the dominant family with 5 species followed by Stegeoclonium (3 spp.) while Cladophoraceae and Bulbochaete having two species each. Characiaceae, Scenedesmaceae, Oocystaceae, Centritractaceae, Coleochaetaceae, Tetrasporaceae Aphanochaete, Gongrosira, Characium, Cenedesmus, Closteriopsis, Centritractus, Coleochaete and Chaetopeltis got one species each. Some of the algal species are very useful for medicinal purpose, while others can be used as feed or food. Still most of the filamentous are noxious weeds of water bodies and hinder the intended use of water body. This study covers only a small portion of algae and a lot of species are still to be discovered, hence further studies are suggested to be undertaken in this regard.

Abstract: The green chlorococcoid algal genus Hydrianum Rabenhorst is reported for the second time in North America since its original report in 1887 and 1909. Hydrianum crassiapex was collected in Kansas, in Douglas County from a railroad trestle pond north of Lawrence and in Michigan, in Charlevoix County from Lake Geneserath. This singlecelled alga is epiphytic on macrophytes or filamentous algae, attached by means of short, hyaline stalks. Cells are asymmetrical, spherical-ellipsoid shaped in appearance. Hydrianum is characterized by its unusual mode of sporulation: zoospores are released from an apical pore while the most morphological similar genus Characium releases zoospores through a lateral pore.

Abstract: The complete 18S rRNA gene sequences of four Sphaeroplea C.A. Agardh strains (Sphaeropleales, Sphaeropleaceae), two Atractomorpha Hoffman strains (Sphaeropleales, Sphaeropleaceae) and two Ankyra Fott strains (Chlorococcales, Characiaceae) were determined and subjected to phylogenetic analyses. The analyses indicated that all these taxa belong to a monophyletic lineage (Sphaeropleaceae) and are related to a group of chlorophycean algae comprising autosporic taxa and taxa that reproduce by zoospores which are characterized by directly opposed basal bodies. The taxonomic assignment of the Sphaeropleaceae as a family within the Sphaeropleales (Chlorophyta, Chlorophyceae) is discussed.