The chloroplast pigments of the algal classes Eustigmatophyceae and Xanthophyceae. I. Eustigmatophyceae

Analysis of the chloroplast pigments of Pleurochloris commutata Pascher, Pleurochloris magna Boye Petersen, Polyedriella helvetica Vischer et Pascher and Vischeria stellata (Poulton) Pascher by several chromatographic methods has confirmed that they all contain violaxanthin as their major xanthophyll pigment. All had previously been assigned to the new algal class, the Eustigmatophyceae. Monodus subterraneus Boye Petersen may also belong in this class. Comparative studies have shown that the eustigmatophycean algae have different pigments from those found in Pleurochloris meiringensis Vischer, Mischococcus sphaerocephalus Vischer and Tribonema aequale Pascher which had previously been placed in the Xanthophyceae sensu stricto. The xanthophycean algae contain diadinoxanthin as their major xanthophyll and do not contain violaxanthin. It appears that it is possible to correctly assign an alga to the Chlorophyceae, Eustigmatophyceae or Xanthophyceae sensu stricto simply by examination of the absorption spectrum of the unseparated pigment extract.