Prymnesium

Prymnesium is a genus of haptophytes, including the species Prymnesium parvum. The genus is a unicellular motile alga. It is ellipsoidal in shape one flagellum is straight and there are two longer ones which enable movement.

The name Latinizes the Greek ' ‘cable (for mooring)’, from ' ‘stern’, from  ‘hindmost’.

Prymnesium was likely first recognized and drawn (although not named as such) on July 1, 1920, and then (seemingly independently) officially named shortly afterwards on July 6, 1920.

Species
The taxonomy of Prymnesiales was revised in 2011. With this revision, ten additional species were added to the genus, namely P. neolepis (previously assigned to Hyalolithus), P. palpebrale, P. polylepis, P. kappa, P. chiton, P. minus (previously assigned to Chrysochromulina), P. neustophilum, P. pienaarii, P. pigrum, and P. simplex (previously assigned to Platychrysis).


 * Prymnesium neolepis (=Hyalolithus neolepis)
 * Prymnesium palpebrale (=Chrysochromulina palpebralis)
 * Prymnesium polylepis (=Chrysochromulina polylepis)
 * Prymnesium kappa (=Chrysochromulina kappa)
 * Prymnesium chiton (=Chrysochromulina chiton)
 * Prymnesium minus (=Chrysochromulina minor)
 * Prymnesium neustophilum (=Platychrysis neustophila)
 * Prymnesium pienaarii (=Platychrysis pienaarii)
 * Prymnesium pigrum (=Platychrysis pigra)
 * Prymnesium simplex (=Platychrysis simplex)