Synura | |
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A colony of Synura sp. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
Clade: | SAR |
Clade: | Stramenopiles |
Phylum: | Gyrista |
Subphylum: | Ochrophytina |
Class: | Chrysophyceae |
Order: | Synurales |
Family: | Synuraceae |
Genus: | Synura Ehrenberg 1834 |
Species | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Synura is a genus of colonial chrysomonad algae covered in silica scales.[2] It is the most conspicuous genus of the order Synurales.[3]
Species of Synura form microscopic, spherical colonies, composed of multiple cells attached to each other at the center of the colony. Synura cells are variously shaped, typically spherical to pear-shaped or club-shaped. Each cell contains two plastids aligned with the long axis of the cell; they impart a distinctive golden color to the cells, which come from chlorophyll c1 and fucoxanthin. Cells are covered in scales made of silica. Two flagella are present.[4]
Identification of species depends on the morphology of the scales. For many species, a positive identification is only possible with an electron microscope, either with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or transmission electron microscopy (TEM).[4]
The present taxonomy recognizes five sections:[2][3]