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Gomphosphaeria

Generic name: GOMPHOSPHAERIA Kützing, 1836. Algarum Aquae Dulcis German. 16: 3.
Synonyms: Druet & Daily (1956); Kützing, Alg. Aq. Dulc. Germ. Dec. 16: 151. 1836. Gomphosphaeria Subgenus Eugomphosphaeria Elenkin, Not. Syst. Inst. Crypt. Horti Bot. Petropol. 2: 67. 1923.
Diagnosis:
Type species: Gomphosphaeria aponina Kützing 1836. 
Descriptions:
Komárek (2003): Colonies are free-living, spherical or irregularly oval, and sometimes composed of subcolonies. They have a central system of thick mucilaginous stalks that are nearly pseudodichotomously divided and may be diffuse within the colony. Stalks widen at the ends and envelope individual cells with a thin mucilage layer. Cells are slightly elongate, obovate, or club-shaped, and radially oriented more or less at the colony periphery, which is sometimes enveloped by a fine, colorless, and diffuse mucilage. Cells have a homogeneous pale or bright blue-green, olive-green, or red content and are (4.2)6-12(15) X 2-8(13.2) μm. After division, the cells may remain joined together and form a characteristic cordiform shape. Cells in colonies are slightly distant and sometimes slightly radially displaced from one another. Cell division occurs in two planes in successive generations, perpendicular to one another and to the colony surface. Reproduction is by colony disintegration.

Komárek & Anagnostidis (1998): Colonies spherical or irregular, commonly composed of subcolonies, free-living, sometimes enveloped by indistinct, fine and diffluent mucilage; from the center of colony radiates a system of more or less thick, gelatinous stalks, which are, however, always thinner than the cell width; stalks are widened at the ends and envelope individual cells with a narrow layer; the stalk system is sometimes diffluent in the middle of the colony. Cells are always elongate, radially situated at the ends of stalks, obovate or club-shaped, after division remain and grow parallely joined together for a long part of the cell cycle, forming the characteristic cordiform shape. Solitary cells or cordiform couples are always slightly distant from one another with remarkable spaces between them, sometimes slightly radially displaced from one another.
Komárek (1992): Unicellular - colonial; colonies microscopic, spherical or irregular, commonly composed of several daughter colonies, free living (mainly in the metaphyton), usually enveloped by narrow, indistinct, fine and diffluent mucilage. A system of +/- thick, pseudodichotomously branched and radially oriented stalks widened to the ends and envelopin the individual cells by a narrow layer of slime sometimes visible only after staining (!) is developed within the colony; the stalk system is (sometimes
diffluent in the colonial center. Cells radially oriented, situated in the periphery of a colony, always elongated, obovate or club-shaped, after division remain and grow joined (by their longer sides) together for a long part of the cell cycle, forming the characteristic cordiform shape; solitary cells or "cordiform" stages are always slightly distant one from another with remarcable spaces between them, usually slightly radially shifted to one another. Cells pale blue-green, yellowish or pinkish, without aerotopes, sometimes
with solitary granules, in colonies situated more or less peripherally and radially.
Geitler (1932): Zellen ellipsoidisch, verkehrt-eiförmig oder abgerundet kegelig, während der Teilung herzförmig, seltener fast kugelig, oft in Vierergruppen, mit oder ohne Spezialhülle, in einer Schicht in gemeinsamer Gallerte zu hohlkugeligen, freischwimmenden Kolonien vereinigt, auf radiär gestellten, verzweigten Gallertstielen sitzend. Zellteilung meist nach zwei aufeinander senkrecht stehenden Raumrichtungen. Gelegentlich Teilung der ganzen Kolonie.

Genotype differences, molecular data:
Reproduction strategies, life cycles, cell division:
Komárek & Anagnostidis (1998): Cell division in two planes in successive generations, perpendicular to one another and to the colony surface; the daughter cells divide completely in the later period of a cell cycle. Reproduction by the colony disintegration.
Komárek (1992): Cell division in two directions in subsequent generations, perpendicular to each other and to the surface of the colony; the daughter cells remain after division joined together, forming the "cordiform" cells. Reproduction by the disintegration of colonies.
Ultrastructure:
Taxonomic position, higher hierarchy: Cyanophyceae, Chroococcales, Merismopediaceae, Gomphosphaerioideae
Notes to taxonomy, misinterpretations:
Ecology, ecophysiology, ecological significance:
Komárek (1992): The majority of species free living in the methaphyton of the littoral of lakes and in swamps and pools, among other algae and water plants (one in salinic swamps), usually with limited areas of distribution. Three species are planktic in + clear lakes and ponds. Two species are exclusively tropical, the other are known predominantly from the temperate zone.
Physiology and biochemistry:
Distribution, endemism, problematic citations:
Reference strain:
Infrageneric scheme, species concept:
List of species:
Gomphosphaeria aponina Kützing 1836
Gomphosphaeria delicatula (Virieux) [combination not validly published]
Gomphosphaeria lilacea Virieux 1916
Gomphosphaeria multiplex (Nygaard) Komárek 1989
Gomphosphaeria natans Komárek et Hindák 1988
Gomphosphaeria okawango Komárek et Cronberg 2001
Gomphosphaeria salina Komárek et Hindák 1988
Gomphosphaeria semen-vitis Komárek 1989
Gomphosphaeria virieuxii Komárek et Hindák 1988

Unclear taxa:
Gomphosphaeria cordiformis(Wille) Hansgirg 1886
Gomphosphaeria gessneri Schiller 1956
Gomphosphaeria sp. sensu Ling et al. 1989

Keys:
List of stains:
Drawings:
Komárek
(1992)
Application technology:
Literature:

  2.1 taxonomy: Geitler 1932, Huber-Pestalozzi 1938, Geitler 1942, Komarek & Anagnostidis 1986, Komárek & Hindák 1987, Komárek & Hindák 1988, Komárek 1989, Komárek 1992, Komárek & Komárková-Legnerová 1992, Komárek & Anagnostidis 1998, Komárek 2003
  2.2 cytomorphology:
  2.3 16S rRNA sequencing:
  2.4 biology and life cycles:
  2.5 ecology: