Mesostigma
Genus of algae / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mesostigma | |
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Scientific classification | |
(unranked): | Viridiplantae |
(unranked): | Charophyta |
Class: | Mesostigmatophyceae |
Order: | Mesostigmatales Marin & Melkonian[1] |
Family: | Mesostigmataceae Marin & Melkonian[2] |
Genus: | Mesostigma Lauterborn[3] |
Species | |
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Mesostigma is a genus of unicellular biflagellate freshwater green algae, with a single species Mesostigma viride, covered by an outer layer of basket‐like scales instead of a cell wall.[4][3] AlgaeBase classifies it as the only genus in the family Mesostigmataceae,[2] the only family in the order Mesostigmatales,[1] the only order in the class Mesostigmatophyceae.[5] It is now considered to be one of the earliest diverging members of green plants/algae (Viridiplantae).
Earlier studies were unable to resolve the position of the species, and it was often placed as a sister to all other green algae, as one of the basal members of the Streptophyta, or as close to Chaetosphaeridium.[6][7][8] More recent studies agree that Mesostigma and Chlorokybus form a clade, being the earliest diverging green plants.[9][10][11][12]