Aetokthonos Wilde et Johansen, 2014

Wilde, Susan B., Johansen, Jeffrey R., Wilde, H. Dayton, Jiang, Peng, Bartelme, Bradley A. & Haynie, Rebecca S., 2014, Aetokthonos hydrillicola gen. et sp. nov.: Epiphytic cyanobacteria on invasive aquatic plants implicated in Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy, Phytotaxa 181 (5), pp. 243-260 : 247

Aetokthonos Wilde et Johansen , gen. nov.

Morphologically similar to Fischerella (Bornet & Flahault 1887: 100) Gomont (1895: 52) , from which it differs by possession of dehiscent apical cap cells at the apices of the branch filaments.

Type species:— Aetokthonos hydrillicola

Description:— Main filaments creeping, forming attached irregular disks on the underside of leaves of aquatic plants, more or less radiating from the center of the colony, sometimes biseriate to multiseriate, typically branching mostly to one side. Sheath colorless, homogenous. Trichomes monoseriate to multiseriate, tapering towards filament apices. Cells in main filaments compressed spherical to almost spherical. Cells in branches becoming longer than wide and cylindrical. End cells separated from subterminal cells, forming a dehiscent cap like structure at the end of branches. Heterocytes present, mostly intercalary, rarely lateral. Akinetes present, in masses within the main filaments. Hormogonia released from tips of branches.

Etymology:— Aetokthonos (Gr.) = ‘Eagle killer’