''Tetraparma'' is a genus of unicellular algae in the family
Triparmaceae in the order
Parmales
The Parmales are an order of marine microalgae within the Bolidophyceae class. They are found worldwide and characterized by a cell wall composed of 5-8 interlocking silica plates with distinct forms. They were initially thought to be loricate ch ...
. They form siliceous plates on the cell surface that aid in identification. ''Tetraparma'' is distinguished by its possession of three shield plates that may have everted rims, three triradiate girdle plates, a triradiate dorsal plate with notched ends, and a large ventral plate. It was first described by Booth & Marchant in 1987 and the holotype is ''Triparma columacea''.
''Tetraparma'' cells have two forms: the motile, naked form and the non-motile siliceous form. The motile cells propelled by two flagella of unequal length, typical of
heterokonts. The non-motile forms do not possess flagella but instead have a silicified cell wall with a distinctive plate morphology: three shield plates, three triradiate girdle plates, a triradiate dorsal plate with notched ends, and a small ventral plate. Both forms contain a single, dorsal chloroplast that contains
chlorophyll
Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...
s ''a'' and ''c
1-3'' as well as
fucoxanthin. They are typically 2-5 μm in size and generally spherical or heart-shaped.
Taxonomy
* Class
Bolidophyceae Guillou & Chretiennot-Dinet 1999
** Order
Parmales
The Parmales are an order of marine microalgae within the Bolidophyceae class. They are found worldwide and characterized by a cell wall composed of 5-8 interlocking silica plates with distinct forms. They were initially thought to be loricate ch ...
Booth & Marchant 1987
*** Family
Triparmaceae Booth & Marchant 1988
**** Genus ''Tetraparma''
Booth & Marchant 1987
***** Species ''
T. catinifera''
Booth 1987
***** Species ''
T. gracilis''
Ichinomiya & Lopes dos Santos 2016
***** Species ''
T. insecta''
Booth 1987
***** Species ''
T. pelagica''
(Guillou & Chrétiennot-Dinet) Ichinomiya & Lopes dos Santos 2016
***** Species ''
T. silverae''
(Guillou & Chrétiennot-Dinet) Ichinomiya & Lopes dos Santos 2016
***** Species ''
T. trullifera''
Booth 1987
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21224239
Algae genera
Ochrophyta
Heterokont genera