We describe Picocystis salinarum R.A. Lewin, gen. et sp. nov., a hitherto unrecognized kind of green picoplanktonic alga from a saline pond, now isolated in pure culture. The cells are normally spherical or oval, 2–3 μm in diameter, but tend towards a trilobed shape under conditions of nutrient depletion. The ultrastructure is typical for green algae. The pigment complement comprises chlorophylls a and b and the carotenoids neoxanthin, violaxanthin, alloxanthin, monadoxanthin, diatoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin. The major component of the cell wall is polyarabinose. Such a unique combination of features suggests that this alga might be assigned to a new lineage within the Chlorophyta.
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Lewin et al. (2000) studied this question.
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