Home / Prymnesiophyceae / Calcidiscus
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Name derivation:
"Chalk disk" -- Chalk Calci- disk –discus
Classification:
Calcidiscus Kamptner 1950; 1 of 5 species descriptions is currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013). Order Coccolithales; Family Calcidiscaceae. Or Order Coccosphaerales, Family Coccolithaceae (Heimdal 1993). Synonym: Cyclococcolithus
Morphology:
Non-motile coccosphere (sheathed in coccoliths) 22 28 µm diameter. Coccoliths are tightly interlocked circular placoliths with an upper and lower shield connected by a tube (Heimdal 1993).
Similar genera:
Habitat:
Marine plankton, global in distribution.
References:
Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 30 April 2013. Heimdal, B.R. 1993. Modern coccolithophorids. In: Identifying marine phytoplankton. (Tomas, C.R. Eds), pp. 731-834. San Diego: Academic Press. Kamptner, E. 1950. Über den submikroskopischen Aufbau der Coccolithen. Anzeiger der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Matmatische-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse 87: 152-158.