Pithophora
| Pithophora | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pithophora roettleri | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Ulvophyceae |
| Order: | Cladophorales |
| Family: | Pithophoraceae |
| Genus: | Pithophora Wittrock |
| Species | |
Pithophora is a genus of green algae in the family Pithophoraceae.[2] Molecular evidence suggests it contains a single species, Pithophora roettleri.[1] AlgaeBase accepts another species, Pithophora inaequalis.[3]
Pithophora grows as a mass of floating, branched filaments. It grows in stagnant, warm-temperate or tropical fresh water, but also has been reported from moist soil. Cells are long, cylindrical, with a diameter of up to 200 μm and typically 5–20 times as long as wide. Terminal cells are conical, or can produce secondary rhizoids which are curved and attach to a surface like a tendril. Pithophora is easily identified in reproductive condition due to its akinetes, which are single and intercalary or terminal. Akinetes are swollen, with dark cell contents. Akinetes germinate and develop into new branches.[1]
This kind of filamentous algae has a coarse texture to it hence often referred to as "horse hair".[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Škaloud, Pavel; Rindi, Fabio; Boedeker, Christian; Leliaert, Frederik (2018). Chlorophyta: Ulvophyceae. Süßwasserflora von Mitteleuropa. Vol. 13. Berlin, Germany: Springer Spektrum. pp. i–x, 1–289. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-55495-1. ISBN 978-3-662-55494-4.
- ^ See the NCBI webpage on Pithophora. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- ^ Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. "Pithophora Wittrock, 1877". AlgaeBase. University of Galway. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
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