Fournier 1971 f1.jpeg
Fournier 1971 f2-5.jpeg
Original descriptions of taxa. For coccolithophores, and many calcispheres, these are pages from the Farinacci & Howe Catalog of Calcareous Nannofossils. In other cases (e.g. non-calcifying haptophytes) the data is directly compiled on this site. The "Catalogue of Calcareous Nannofossils" was originally compiled by Prof A. Farinacci 1969-1989, since 2000 it has been updated and extended by Richard Howe - see The Farinacci and Howe Catalog - an Introduction.
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Fournier 1971 f1.jpeg
Fournier 1971 f2-5.jpegCurrent identification/main database link: Chrysocampanula spinifera Fournier 1971
Compiled data
Original Description
Cells 6-8 µ long, 3-5 µ wide with two unequal, heterodynamic flagella and short, rigid haptonema arising apically; flagella 20-30 and 10-12 µ long, haptonema 6-8 po long; plastids two, bright yellow; central nucleus; one or two large posterior bodies thought to be leucosin; oil produced; eyespot absent; cell not metabolic but bell shaped with deep girdle 2/3 of cell length from apex; long fine spines, 10-20 µ long, present only on posterior portion of cell below the girdle; mode of reproduction not observed; collected from the Bay of Chaleurs, Quebec, Canada. Figure 1 is designated as the English holotype.
Extra details from original publication
This organism (Fig. 1) possesses two prominent, unequal, heterodynamic flagella that arise anteriorly and are separated by an equally prominent but rigid haptonema. Both the haptonema and flagella appear to be of equal thickness and hair points were not observed on either of the flagella. The longer flagellum ranges from 20-30 µ, the shorter one from 10-12 µ, and the haptonema from 6-8 µ. Flagellar motion is heterodynamic, each flagellum moving in an undulating fashion independently of the other. The haptonema was observed occasionally bending slightly from side to side, and in one instance just prior to cell disruption it was violently retracted within the cell.
The most striking characteristic of this organism (Fig. 1) is the possession of exceptionally long thin spines of unknown composition. The spines are considerably thinner than the flagella and without the aid of phase contrast they are almost invisible. It was not possible to determine the manner in which these spines were joined to the cell. The fact that isolated spines were never observed free of the cell might suggest that they are part of an envelope rather than individually attached. They are distributed only around the posterior half of the cell with the anteriormost spine on either side located at the site of a marked lateral indentation of the cell. Spine length ranges from 1220 µ.
Cell dimensions, excluding spines, range from 3-5 µ in width to 6-8 µ in length. The characteristic cell shape of this organism (Fig. 1) is that of a broad posterior region joined at the aforementioned indentation to a slightly tapered anterior portion. The overall effect is that the cell suggests the shape of a bell, hence the name Chrysocampanula.
Internally, two bright yellow parietal chloroplasts are present. The cytoplasm between the chloroplasts is free of any visible particles, although occasionally one or two lipid droplets were observed. Also, the nucleus was observed between the chloroplasts when the slide was almost dried out. No eyespot was observed. In the posterior portion of the cell at least one, and often two large globules, presumed to be leucosin, are present. The culture was never unialgal and hence no attempt was made to look for reproductive cysts.
Figures 2-5 show a strikingly similar organism which was observed in a different enrichment culture, obtained within several miles (1l2N, Table 1) of C. spinifera. This organism was found only in one enrichment and not in the previous one containing C. spinifera. Table I lists all of the other organisms which were observed in both of these cultures and it would appear that these stations are geographically quite close but ecologically quite different since only one organism was common to both.
Figure 2 shows a cell approximately the size of C. spinifera. It also possesses two unequal flagella, spines of the same length and thickness, and internal organelles of a similar type and distribution as in C. spinifera. However, this organism differs from the first on two important points, including the absence of a haptonema and the fact that the cell has a surrounding envelope to which the spines are attached. The cells were frequently observed to discard this envelope. Figure 2 shows a typical motile cell whereas Figures 3 and 4 show a cell being released from its envelope. Figure 5 is a diagramatic representation of an anterior or posterior view of the envelope drawn from various focal planes.
One cannot help but wonder what the organism displayed in Figures 2-5 would look like if the upper portion of the envelope was discarded and the lower portion retained with a resultant constriction of the cell. Such a cell would closely resemble C. spinifera without its haptonema. The presence of a haptonema is a consistent specific characteristic but one which sometimes eludes observation when the organisms are examined over a short period of time. However, in this investigation these organisms were viewed for a period of one week and despite the fact that some emphasis was placed on observing haptonemata none were sighted.
Chrysocampanula spinifera (Fig. 1) differs from the genus Prymnesium (Carter, 1937) by the possession of unequal rather than subequal flagella, a symmetrical rather than truncated anterior end, and by the presence of spines. The only other organism for which a rigid haptonema is reported are the swarmers of Phaeocystis (Kornmann, 1955). These swarmers are similar to the members of the genus Prymnesium, although the life cycle of these former organisms is not well known nor has any electron microscopy been done on them. It certainly appears therefore that the differences between C. spinifera and existing genera are sufficient to warrant the erection of a new genus.
Despite the gaps in our knowledge of C. spinifera, this organism displays some interesting transitional characteristics in the class Haptophyceae. Although some species of Prymnesium have been shown to possess body scales (Manton and Leedale, 1963), this is the first report of spines on an organism with this type of haptonema. In addition, these spines show some similarity to those described for another haptophyte, Chrysochromulina ericina Parke and Manton (Parke, Manton, and Clarke 1956), whereas the envelope displayed by the possibly related form in Figures 2-5 is suggestive of that reported for Chrysochromulina pringsheimii Parke and Manton (Parke and Manton, 1962).
Fournier, R. O. (1971). Chrysocampanula spinifera gen. et sp. nov. (Prymnesiophyceae), a new marine haptophyte from the Bay of Chaleurs, Quebec. Phycologia. 10: 89-92. gsReferences:
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Chrysocampanula spinifera: Catalog entry compiled by Jeremy Young. Viewed: 7-11-2025
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