Chroococcus cf. turgidus (Kützing) Nägeli (1849: 46)

Jr, Watson Arantes Gama, Iv, Haywood Dail Laughinghouse & Sant’Anna, Célia Leite, 2014, How diverse are coccoid cyanobacteria? A case study of terrestrial habitats from the Atlantic Rainforest (São Paulo, Brazil), Phytotaxa 178 (2), pp. 61-97 : 72

Chroococcus cf. turgidus (Kützing) Nägeli (1849: 46) ( Figs. 5F–5G ).

Basionym: Protococcus turgidus Kützing (1846: 5) .

Elliptical colonies, 17.7–25.8 × 13.4–16.8 µm, 2–4 celled, rarely more. Sheath firm, hyaline, conspicuous, nonlamellate, smooth. Cells hemispherical, rarely elliptical, 7.8–14.1 µm diam. Cell content granulated, blue-green to olive green.

Habitat: —Dry soil.

Notes: — Chroococcus turgidus is a problematic species. Kützing (1846) described this species with a wider cell diameter, 20.0–71.4 µm (1/100–1/28’’’, converted as proposed by Stearn (1992)), and did not indicate the habitat, only separating two varieties by color. Nowadays, there are many different related species/varieties similar to C. turgidus , but none of them are typically terrestrial, which makes the Atlantic Rainforest population distinguishable from C. turgidus and its relatives.

Studied material: — BRAZIL. São Paulo: Cananéia, “Recanto do Mar” Inn , 25º 1’ 16” S, 47º 55’ 31” W, 30 June 2010, W.A. Gama-Jr. & C.F.S. Malone (SP 401446) .

Figures

FIGURES 5A–5B. Chroococcus tenax. 5A. General colony habit highlighting the lamellated sheaths. 5B. Desiccated cell showing concentrically lamellate sheaths and blue color.