Bracteacoccaceae was erected by Tsarenko (2005), who included Planktosphaeria in this family along with Bracteacoccus. As discussed above, learn more Planktosphaeria falls within another clade, the herein proposed Schizochlamydaceae. The algaebase.org database lists Chromochloris as a member of the Bracteacoccaceae, but this inclusion was not supported by our analyses. We propose that Bracteacoccus, at present, be the only genus in Bracteacoccaceae. Bracteacoccaceae are terrestrial coccoids that reproduce via aplanospores or biflagellate zoospores with unequal flagella. Their ultrastructure was studied by Kouwets (1993, 1996 – cell cycle) and Watanabe and Floyd (1992 – zoospores). The

coccoid strain SAG 2265 was isolated from the Namib desert and while morphologically very similar to other Bracteacoccus-like

algae, phylogenetically appeared very distinct in all our analyses. We therefore propose a new genus name for it, Tumidella. The desert strain UTEX B2977, isolated from Carlsbad Caverns, NM represents a new, distinct Bracteacoccus-like lineage, for which we suggest the genus name Bracteamorpha. The two genera are genetically very divergent from one another, and from all other genera included in this study. They are morphologically similar to one another and their relatives, but stand out, selleck compound in that they appear capable of sexual reproduction, unlike any of their close relatives. Because their relationship as sister taxa was not recovered in most analyses (Fig. 2, Fig. S2), we propose two new family names to accommodate these

Tobramycin divergent lineages: Bracteamorphaceae and Tumidellaceae. Our analyses suggest that Bracteacoccaceae, Bracteamorphaceae, Radiococcaceae, Schizochlamydaceae, and Tumidellaceae form a clade of mostly coccoid coenocytic algae with multiple chloroplasts per cell, mostly capable of zoospore production. However, as discussed above, other Bracteacoccus-like algae are found outside of this clade: Chromochloris, Pseudomuriella, and Rotundella. The genus Chromochloris was resurrected by Fučíková and Lewis (2012) and currently contains one species, C. zofingiensis (Dönz) Fučíková & L. A. Lewis. According to our multi-locus analyses, Chromochloris represents a lineage distinct from any recognized family, and we therefore establish Chromochloridaceae to harbor this genus. Chromochloris is morphologically similar to Bracteacoccus, as it is polyplastidic and multinucleate, lacks pyrenoids, and produces biflagellate zoospores. Its vegetative ultrastructure was described in Kalina and Punčochářová (1987). Likewise, the genus Dictyochloris represents another early diverging sphaeroplealean lineage that clearly falls outside of Radiococcaceae, wherein it currently is classified. We therefore propose the Dictyochloridaceae to accommodate this taxon.