The Mesotaeniaceae are a small family of unicellular green algae known as the "saccoderm desmids". The Mesotaeniaceae appear to be sister or ancestral to the Zygnemataceae. The desmids are a deep branching group of Zygnemataceae. Spirotaenia was found to be a basal green alga.
Genera
The Mesotaeniaceae includes the following genera:
Ancylonema Berggren, 1872
Cylindrocystis Meneghini ex De Bary, 1858
Geniculus Prescott, 1967
Mesotaenium Nägeli, 1849
Netrium (Nägeli) Itzigsohn & Rothe, 1856
Nucleotaenium Gontcharov & Melkonian, 2010
Planotaenium (Ohtani) Petlovany & Palamar-Mordvintseva, 2009
Roya West & G.S.West, 1896
Tortitaenia A.J.Brook, 1998
Synonyms: Endospira Brébisson, nom. inval., is a synonym of Spirotaenia Entospira Kuntze, 1898 is a synonym of Spirotaenia Polytaenia A.J.Brook, 1997, nom. illeg., is a synonym of Tortitaenia
References
Zygnematales
Zygnematophyceae families
