Cryptomonas is the name-giving genus of the cryptomonads established by German biologist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg in 1831. The algae are common in freshwater habitats and brackish water worldwide and often form blooms in greater depths of lakes. The cells are usually brownish or greenish in color and are characteristic of having a slit-like furrow at the anterior. Cryptomonas can be found in several marine ecosystems in Australia and South Korea.

Etymology

Cryptomonas has the meaning of hidden small flagellates from “crypto” and “monas”.

Genome structure

Species within Cryptomonas contain four genomes: the nuclear, the nucleomorph, the plastid, and mitochondrial genomes. In addition, the flagella are lined with small hairs that allow for better movement. The phycoerythrin was translocated into the thylakoid lumen with its chromophore composition altered; subsequently, phycobiliproteins with at least seven different absorption spectra evolved.

Dimorphism

Life history-dependent dimorphism was first described in organisms in 1986.

References

  • Tree of Life: Cryptomonas