Pinguiochrysidaceae is a family of marine

Heterokont Heterokonts are a group of protists (formally referred to as Heterokonta, Heterokontae or Heterokontophyta). The group is a major line of eukaryotes. Most are algae, ranging from the giant multicellular kelp to the unicellular diatoms, which ...

ophyta. It is the only family in the order Pinguiochrysidales, which is the only order in the class Pinguiophyceae. It includes five species of unicellular organisms with high concentration of

polyunsaturated fatty acid Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are fatty acids that contain more than one double bond in their backbone. This class includes many important compounds, such as essential fatty acids and those that give drying oils their characteristic proper ...

s in the

cytoplasm In cell biology, the cytoplasm is all of the material within a eukaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, except for the cell nucleus. The material inside the nucleus and contained within the nuclear membrane is termed the nucleoplasm. The ...

. The other common features are the lack of

cell wall A cell wall is a structural layer surrounding some types of cells, just outside the cell membrane. It can be tough, flexible, and sometimes rigid. It provides the cell with both structural support and protection, and also acts as a filtering mech ...

and the tendency for

flagella A flagellum (; ) is a hairlike appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many protists with flagella are termed as flagellates. A microorganism may have f ...

loss even on the stage of

zoospore A zoospore is a motile asexual spore that uses a flagellum for locomotion. Also called a swarm spore, these spores are created by some protists, bacteria, and fungi to propagate themselves. Diversity Flagella types Zoospores may possess one or mo ...

, which is unusual for heterokonts. One species (''Polypodochrysis teissieri'') inhabits benthic substates (sometimes found the

mucilage Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. These microorganisms include protists which use it for their locomotion. The direction of their movement is always opposite to that of the secretion of m ...

of other algae) and is able to produce lorica with one or more tubular necks. The other species live in the

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

Species

* Class Pinguiophyceae ** Order Pinguiochrysidales Kawachi et al., 2002 *** Family Pinguiochrysidaceae Kawachi et al., 2002 **** Genus '' Glossomastix'' O’Kelly, 2002 ***** Species ''

Glossomastix chrysoplasta ''Glossomastix'' is a genus of heterokont Heterokonts are a group of protists (formally referred to as Heterokonta, Heterokontae or Heterokontophyta). The group is a major line of eukaryotes. Most are algae, ranging from the giant multicell ...

'' O’Kelly, 2002 **** Genus '' Phaeomonas'' Honda & Inouye, 2002 ***** Species '' Phaeomonas parva'' Honda & Inouye, 2002 **** Genus '' Pinguiochrysis'' Kawachi, Atsumi, Ikemoto & Miyachi, 2002 ***** Species '' Pinguiochrysis pyriformis'' Kawachi, Atsumi, Ikemoto & Miyachi, 2002 ***** Species '' Pinguiochrysis rumoiana'' Kato & Masuda 2003 **** Genus '' Pinguiococcus'' Andersen, Potter & Bailey, 2002 ***** Species '' Pinguiococcus pyrenoidosus'' Andersen, Potter & Bailey, 2002 **** Genus '' Polypodochrysis'' Magne, 1975 ***** Species '' Polypodochrysis teissieri'' Magne, 1975

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q21446414, from2=Q1550973, from3=Q21446417 Ochrophyta Heterokont families