First record of Chlamydomonas proboscigera in the southern hemisphere

Abstract

Chlamydomonas proboscigera is a unicellular, ellipsoidal-to-spherical chlorophyte distinguished by a flattened papilla, a large spherical pyrenoid and a disc-shaped stigma located anterior in a cup-shaped chloroplast. The species is common in eutrophic water, but also occurs in terrestrial environments, such as soils. Previously, Chlamydomonas proboscigera was only described from certain parts of Europe, Asia and northern Africa (Algeria). The findings of C. proboscigera in South Africa during 2019, represent the first reported record of this species in the southern hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: Africa, algae, Chlamydomonas iyengarii, Chlamydomonas subglobosa, Chlamydomonas sphaeroides, Chlorophyta, eutrophic