Charales

 ( Charophyta ) 

Charales is an order of freshwater green algae in the division Charophyta, class Charophyceae, commonly known as stoneworts. Depending on the treatment of the genus Nitellopsis, living (extant) species are placed into either one family (Characeae) or two (Characeae and Feistiellaceae). Further families are used for fossil members of the order. Carl Linnaeus established the genus Chara in 1753.

---

Taxonomy The higher level classification of green algae was unsettled . AlgaeBase places Charales within the class Charophyceae and its circumscription of the Phylum Charophyta.

---

Families

The number of families and their division into genera varies. , AlgaeBase accepts two families containing some extant species and four families containing only fossil species:

• Characeae S.F.Gray
• Feistiellaceae Schudack
• †Aclistocharaceae X.G.Zhou (may be included in Characeae)
• †Atopocharaceae R.E.Peck (may be included in Clavatoraceae)
• †Clavatoraceae Pia
• †Porocharaceae Grambast

AlgaeBase places the genus Nitellopsis, which has both extant and extinct species, in the family Feistiellaceae. Other sources place Nitellopsis in the family Characeae, with Feistiellaceae containing only fossil species, so that all extant species are in the family Characeae. The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera accepts a further three extinct families:

• †Eocharaceae Grambast
• †Palaeocharaceae Pia
• †Raskyellaceae Grambast

---

Fossil record

Body fossils of representatives of the order Charales do exist, but are rare. The fossil record of the Charales consists mostly of Gyrogonite, that is, calcified fructifications or, more exactly, calcified spiral cells surrounding the oospores. It may be noted that the gyrogonites are studied by Paleontology, but not often destroyed (using acids) during Neontology research to liberate the oospores.

The oldest known representative of the Charales is Eochara wickendenii Choquette from the Middle Devonian.

Monique Feist (2025). 9780813730028, Geological Society of America–University of Kansas. ISBN 9780813730028

The family Characeae starts dominating the fossil assemblages in the Paleogene or perhaps already in the Late Cretaceous.

---

Further reading

• Bryant, J. The stoneworts (Chlorophyta, Charales). In Guiry, M.D., John, D.M., Rindi, F. and McCarthy, T.K. 2007. New Survey of Clare Island. Royal Irish Academy. .
• Schaible, R. and Schubert, H. 2008. The occurrence of sexual Chara canesces populations (Charophyceae) is not related to ecophysiological potentials with respect to salinity and irradiance. Eur. J. Phycol. 43: 309 - 316.
• Desai, Udaysingh and Karande C.T. 2008. "Biodiversity of Charophytes from Kolhapur District, Maharashtra". Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

---

External links

• Images of Charales
• University California
• Chara curta in Ireland

Post Comment