''Chlorokybus'' is a multicellular (sarcinoid) genus of basal

green algae The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alga as ...

charophyte Charophyta () is a group of freshwater green algae, called charophytes (), sometimes treated as a phylum, division, yet also as a superdivision or an unranked clade. The terrestrial plants, the Embryophyta emerged within Charophyta, possibly fro ...

, a soil

alga Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mi ...

. It has been classified as the sole member of the family Chlorokybaceae, which is the sole member of the order Chlorokybales, in turn the sole member of the class Chlorokybophyceae.

Taxonomy

''Chlorokybus atmophyticus'' was once thought to be the only species in the genus.JSTOR The Zoospore of Chlorokybus Atmophyticus, a Charophyte with Sarcinoid Growth Habit
/ref> In 2021, a study showed that there were at least four other species, morphologically indistinguishable, but with deep genomic differences, suggesting divergences possibly about 76 million years ago. ''Chlorokybus'' has been found in Eurasia, Central and South America. ''Chlorokybus'' was placed in a new class, order and family. The new class Chlorokybophyceae was basal within the charophytes. Within the genus, the species were related as shown in the cladogram:

References

External links

Charophyta Charophyta genera {{green algae-stub