Bio*Pedia is a repository of descriptions of organisms. Information entered here will be harvested by the Encyclopedia of Life. The material will be reviewed and if inappropriate or inaccurate, may not be included in EOL.
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Bio*Pedia is a repository of descriptions of organisms and a partner of the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). Descriptions added to Bio*Pedia will be harvested at regular intervals, and will appear on EOL species pages.1
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Description of Glaucocystophytes:
Circumscription:Eukaryotes with cyanelles (reduced cyanobacteria) but with a wide array of trophic forms (flagellates, nonmotile coccoid organisms, palmelloid). Presence or absence of a cellulosic cell wall, presence or absence of a mucilage sheath. Given the variation, monophyly, which is largely based on the cyanelles, requires confirmation. Ultrastructural identity: Considerable variation, mitochondria with flat cristae. With flattened sacs under cell membrane; which in some species may produce scales. Dictyosomes present and may be associated with the nucleus or with the flagellar apparatus, cyanelles present with or without a surrounding wall. Differing numbers of multilayered structures associated with the flagellar anchorage system if flagella are present. Flagella if present may have fine hairs. Nuclear envelope breaks down during mitosis, basal bodies/centrioles not used to nucleate spindle microtubules. Synapomorphy: None available but probably platycristate protists with cyanelles with subsurface layer of sacs.
A search that checks against common names and lexical variants.
Example: A search for "Pomatomus saltator" will check presence in the tree of "Pomatomus sallatrix", "Pomatomus saltator", or "Pomatomus saltatrix".
A search that checks against common names and lexical variants and homotypic variants.
Example: A search for "Pomatomus saltator" will check presence in the tree of "Cheilodipterus saltatrix", "Gasterosteus saltatrix", "Pomatomix saltatrix", "Pomatomus sallatrix", "Pomatomus saltator", "Pomatomus saltatrix", or "Temnodon saltator".