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Lithomyxa

Generic name: LITHOMYXA Howe, 1932. Shorter Contr. Gen. Geol., p. 63.
Synonyms:
Diagnosis:
Type species: Lithomyxa calcigena Howe 1931. - Monotypic genus, unclear.
Descriptions:
Komárek (2003): Cells irregularly arranged in macroscopic, flat, originally slimy and later hard, crustose colonies, usually heavily encrusted by lime. Cells are enveloped by their own gelatinous envelopes. Cells are spherical to oval and short cylindrical, slightly distant from one another, rarely in groups, only slightly over 1 μm in diameter, with no obvious gas vesicles, and pale blue-green. Cell division probably is in one plane in successive generations.
Komárek & Anagnostidis (1998): Colonies distributed over a substrate, crustose, usually heavily incrusted with lime, hard, primarily composed of a mucilaginous layer of homogeneous slime with irregularly arranged cells (never in rows), surrounded by their own gelatinous, diffluent envelopes. Cells more or less spherical, ovoid or short cylindrical, sometimes aggregated into small, 2-, 4- or few-celled, irregular groups.
Komárek (1992): Unicellular - colonial; colonies mucilaginous, micro- up to macroscopic, covering the stony substrate as a gelatinous mat, with numerous ca1careous precipitations up to hard, intensely calcified. Cells arranged in the colony irregularly, sometimes gathered in small, 2-, 4- to more-celled groups, with their own mucilaginous envelopes, which are more or less homogeneous, not layered, colourless, diffluent and confluent by their margins in a homogeneous mass; cells spherical, ovoid up to shortly cylindrical, very small (below 1 μm wide), pale blue-green or greyish up to colourless.
Genotype differences, molecular data:
Reproduction strategies, life cycles, cell division:
Komárek & Anagnostidis (1998): Cell division probably in one plane in successive generations. Reproduction possibly by solitary, liberated cells. Insufficiently known, monospecific genus.
Komárek (1992): Cells divide probably only in one plane in successive generations. Reproduction not described, probably by small groups of cells enveloped by mucilage.
Ultrastructure:
Taxonomic position, higher hierarchy: Cyanophyceae,
Chroococcales, Synechococcaceae, Aphanothecoideae
Notes to taxonomy, misinterpretations:
Ecology, ecophysiology, ecological significance:
Komárek (1992): The single (type) species grows in clear creeks-in North America, where it forms several cm thick, layered mats, which take substantial part in travertine production. In spite of this, it was not yet confirmed; the generic identity with Aphanothece is possible.
Physiology and biochemistry:
Distribution, endemism, problematic citations:
Reference strain:
Infrageneric scheme, species concept:
List of species:
Lithomyxa calcigena Howe 1931
Keys:
List of stains:
Drawings:
Application technology:
Literature:

2.1 taxonomy: Howe 1931, Geitler 1942, Bourrelly 1977, Komárek 1992, Komárek & Anagnostidis 1998, Komárek 2003
2.2 cytomorphology:
2.3 16S rRNA sequencing:
2.4 biology and life cycles:
2.5 ecology: