''Chaetomorpha'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
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 ...
in the family
Cladophoraceae
Cladophoraceae are a family of 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 (Embryoph ...
.
[Guiry, M. D. (2004)]
''Chaetomorpha''.
''In:'' Guiry, M. D. & Guiry, G. M. (2017). AlgaeBase. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 9 August 2017. Members of this genus may be referred to by the common name sea emerald.
Description
Algae of this genus are made up of macroscopic filaments of cylindrical cells. The genus is characterized by its unbranched filaments, making it distinctive; its closest relatives are branching species of the genus ''
Cladophora
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is a ...
''.
[Leliaert, Frederik, et al. (2011)]
Atypical development of ''Chaetomorpha antennina'' in culture (Cladophorales, Chlorophyta).
''Phycological Research'' 59.2 91-97.
Species
There are about 50 species.
[ Species include:][
* '' Chaetomorpha adriani''
* '' Chaetomorpha aerea''
* '' Chaetomorpha akineta''
* '' Chaetomorpha antennina''
* '' Chaetomorpha bangioides''
* '' Chaetomorpha basiretrorsa''
* '' Chaetomorpha billardierii''
* '' Chaetomorpha brachygona''
* '' Chaetomorpha californica''
* '' Chaetomorpha cannabina''
* '' Chaetomorpha capillaris''
* '' Chaetomorpha dubyana''
* '' Chaetomorpha elongata''
* '' Chaetomorpha exposita''
* '' Chaetomorpha fibrosa''
* '' Chaetomorpha firma''
* '' Chaetomorpha geniculata''
* '' Chaetomorpha gracilis''
* '' Chaetomorpha henningsii''
* '' Chaetomorpha herbipolensis''
* '' Chaetomorpha intestinalis''
* '' Chaetomorpha irregularis''
* '' Chaetomorpha javanica''
* '' Chaetomorpha kellersii''
* '' Chaetomorpha kerguelensis''
* '' Chaetomorpha ligustica''
* '' Chaetomorpha linoides''
* '']Chaetomorpha linum
''Chaetomorpha linum'' is a species of green algae in the family ''Cladophoraceae''.
''Chaetomorpha linum'' and '' Chaetomorpha aerea'' are considered by some authors to be conspecific.Burrows, E.M. 1991. ''Seaweeds of the British Isles Volume ...
''
* '' Chaetomorpha macrotona''
* '' Chaetomorpha mawsonii''
* '' Chaetomorpha mediterranea''
* '' Chaetomorpha melagonium''
* '' Chaetomorpha natalensis''
* '' Chaetomorpha nodosa''
* '' Chaetomorpha obscura''
* '' Chaetomorpha ochlophobians''
* '' Chaetomorpha olneyi''
* '' Chaetomorpha pachynema''
* '' Chaetomorpha pacifica''
* '' Chaetomorpha picquotiana''
* '' Chaetomorpha recurva''
* '' Chaetomorpha restricta''
* '' Chaetomorpha saccata''
* '' Chaetomorpha septentrionalis''
* '' Chaetomorpha tenuissima''
* '' Chaetomorpha tokyoensis''
* '' Chaetomorpha tortuosa''
* '' Chaetomorpha valida''
* '' Chaetomorpha vieillardii''
* '' Chaetomorpha zernovii''
Uses
These algae are popular with aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
hobbyists. Dumping of aquarium specimens into waterways has led to the establishment of nonnative ''Chaetomorpha'' populations, which degrades ecosystems when the algae become invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...
. Biologists recommend boiling, microwaving, freezing, or desiccating aquarium ''Chaetomorpha'' before disposing of it to avoid inadvertent releases.[Odom, R. L., et al. (2014)]
''Alternatives to release: Efficient methods for disposal of excess or unwanted aquarium macroalgae in the genus Chaetomorpha''.
''Invasive Plant Science and Management'' 7(1) 76-83.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2713320
Cladophorales genera
Cladophoraceae
Taxa named by Friedrich Traugott Kützing