Spirogyra (common names include water silk, mermaid's tresses, and blanket weed) is a genus of filamentous charophyte green algae of the family Spirogyraceae, named for the helical or spiral arrangement of the chloroplasts that is characteristic of the genus. Spirogyra species, of which there are more than 500, are commonly found in freshwater habitats. Spirogyra measures approximately 10 to 150 micrometres in width (though not usually more than 60) and may grow to several centimetres in length.
Distribution Spirogyra can be found on every continent on Earth, including Antarctica. It is freshwater algae, found in rivers, ponds, and other such bodies of water.
Taxonomy The genus Spirogyra was named by German naturalist Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link in 1820. The lectotype, Spirogyra porticalis was designated in 1952 by Paul C. Silvia.Spirogyra page, AlgaeBase.
Reproduction Spirogyra can reproduce both sexually and asexually. In vegetative reproduction, fragmentation takes place, and Spirogyra simply undergoes intercalary cell division to extend the length of the new filaments.
Sexual reproduction is of two types: Scalariform conjugation requires association of two or more different filaments lined side by side, either partially or throughout their length. One cell each from opposite lined filaments emits tubular protuberances known as conjugation tubes, which elongate and fuse to make a passage called the conjugation canal. The cytoplasm of the cell acting as the male travels through this tube and fuses with the female cytoplasm, and the gametes fuse to form a zygospore. In lateral conjugation, gametes are formed in a single filament. Two adjoining cells near the common transverse wall give out protuberances known as conjugation tubes, which further form the conjugation canal upon contact. The male cytoplasm migrates through the conjugation canal, fusing with the female. The rest of the process proceeds as in scalariform conjugation.
The essential difference is that scalariform conjugation occurs between two filaments and lateral conjugation occurs between two adjacent cells on the same filament.
Usage Spirogyra species are being researched for their potential in bioremediation. Specifically, in stemming toxic runoff from mines (where they are often found occurring naturally) and from municipal wastewater. Spirogyra has also been investigated as a potential biofuel.
Spirogyra species, such as S. varians, are also being researched for potential pharmaceutical usage due to their high nutrient densities.
Species The following species are currently accepted. For a more comprehensive and up-to-date list of currently accepted species, view the pages on AlgaeBase or WoRMS.
Spirogyra abbreviata Zheng Spirogyra acanthophora (Skuja) Czurda Spirogyra acumbentis Vodenicarov Spirogyra adjerensis Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra adnata (Vaucher) Kützing Spirogyra adornata Ling Spirogyra aequinoctialis G.S.West Spirogyra affinis (Hassall) Petit Spirogyra africana (F.E.Fritsch) Czurda Spirogyra ahmedabadensis Kamat Spirogyra alpina Kützing Spirogyra alternata Kützing Spirogyra amplectens Skuja Spirogyra ampliata L.Liu Spirogyra anchora Skuja Spirogyra angolensis Welwitsch Spirogyra angulata Nipkow Spirogyra anomala Bhashyakarla Rao Spirogyra anzygoapora Singh Spirogyra aphanosculpta Skuja Spirogyra aplanospora Randhawa Spirogyra arcta (C.Agardh) Endlichter Spirogyra arcuata Liu Spirogyra areolata Lagerheim Spirogyra arizonensis Rickert & Hoshaw Spirogyra arthuri Woodhead & Tweed Spirogyra articulata Transeau Spirogyra asiatica Czurda Spirogyra atasiana Czurda Spirogyra atrobrunnea Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra aubvillei Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra australica Czurda Spirogyra australiensis K.Möbius Spirogyra austriaca Czurda Spirogyra azygospora Singh Spirogyra baileyi Schmidle Spirogyra batekiana Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra bellis (Hassall) P.Crouan & H.Crouan Spirogyra bicalyptrata Czurda Spirogyra bichromatophora (Randhawa) Transeau Spirogyra biformis C.-C.Jao Spirogyra biharensis A.M.Verma & B.Kumari Spirogyra bii Kadlubowska Spirogyra bireticulata Liu Spirogyra borealis Zheng & Ling Spirogyra borgeana Transeau Spirogyra borgei Kadlubowska Spirogyra borkuense Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra borysthenica Kasanowsky & Smirnoff [Smirnov] Spirogyra bourrellyana Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra braziliensis (Nordstedt) Transeau Spirogyra britannica Godward Spirogyra brunnea Czurda Spirogyra buchetii Petit Spirogyra bullata C.-C.Jao Spirogyra calcarea Transeau Spirogyra calchaquiesiae B.Tracanna Spirogyra californica Stancheva, J.D.Hall, McCourt & Sheath Spirogyra calospora Cleve Spirogyra canaliculata Segar Spirogyra cardinia S.H.Lewis Spirogyra caroliniana G.E.Dillard Spirogyra castanacea G.C.Couch Spirogyra cataeniformis (Hassall) Kützing Spirogyra catenaeformis (Hassall) Kützing Spirogyra cavata Vodenicarov Spirogyra chakiaensis (Bhashyakarla Rao) Kreiger Spirogyra chandigarhensis Spirogyra chekiangensis C.-C.Jao Spirogyra chenii C.-C.Jao Spirogyra chungkingensis C.-C.Jao Spirogyra chuniae C.-C.Jao Spirogyra circumlineata Transeau Spirogyra clavata Segar Spirogyra cleveana Transeau Spirogyra colligata Hodgetts Spirogyra columbiana Czurda Spirogyra communis (Hassall) Kützing Spirogyra condensata (Vaucher) Dumortier Spirogyra congolensis Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra conspicua Gay Spirogyra convoluta Spirogyra corrugata Woodhead & Tweed Spirogyra costata Kadlubowska Spirogyra costulata Kadlubowska Spirogyra coumbiana Czurda Spirogyra crassa (Kützing) Kützing Spirogyra crassispina C.-C.Jao Spirogyra crassiuscula (Wittrock & Nordstedt) Transeau Spirogyra crassivallicularis C.-C.Jao Spirogyra crassoidea (Transeau) Transeau Spirogyra crenulata Singh Spirogyra croasdaleae Blum Spirogyra cyanosporum Spirogyra cylindrica Czurda Spirogyra cylindrosperma (West & G.S.West) Krieger Spirogyra cylindrospora West & G.S.West Spirogyra czubinskii Kadlubowska Spirogyra czurdae Misra Spirogyra czurdiana Kadlubowska Spirogyra dacimina (O.F.Müller) Kützing Spirogyra daedalea Lagerheim Spirogyra daedaleoides Czurda Spirogyra danica Kadlubowska Spirogyra decimina (O.F.Müller) Dumortier Spirogyra densa Kützing Spirogyra denticulata Transeau Spirogyra dentireticulata C.-C.Jao Spirogyra desikacharyensis Rattan Spirogyra dialyderma Ling & Zheng Spirogyra dicephala C.-C.Jao & H.Z.Zhu Spirogyra dictyospora C.-C.Jao Spirogyra diluta H.C.Wood Spirogyra dimorpha Geitler Spirogyra discoidea Transeau Spirogyra distenta Transeau Spirogyra diversizygotica (V.I.Polyanskij) L.A.Rundina Spirogyra djalonensis Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra djiliense Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra dodgeana Spirogyra drilonensis Petkoff Spirogyra dubia Kützing Spirogyra echinata Tiffany Spirogyra echinospora Blum Spirogyra eillipsospora Transeau Spirogyra elegans Wollny Spirogyra elegantissima Y.J.Ling & Y.M.Zheng Spirogyra ellipsospora Transeau Spirogyra elliptica C.-C.Jao Spirogyra elongata (H.C.Wood) H.C.Wood Spirogyra elongata (Vaucher) Dumortier Spirogyra emilianensis Bonhomme Spirogyra endogranulata O.Bock & W.Bock Spirogyra exilis West & G.S.West Spirogyra fallax (Hansgirg) Wille Spirogyra fassula Zheng Spirogyra favosa Y.-X.Wei & Y.-K.Yung Spirogyra fennica Cedercreutz Spirogyra ferruginea H.W.Liang Spirogyra flavescens (Hassall) Kützing Spirogyra flavicans Kützing Spirogyra fluviatilis Hilse Spirogyra formosa (Transeau) Czurda Spirogyra fossa C.-C.Jao Spirogyra fossulata C.-C.Jao & Hu Spirogyra foveolata (Transeau) Czurda Spirogyra franconica O.Bock & W.Bock Spirogyra frankliniana Tiffany Spirogyra frigida F.Gay Spirogyra fritschiana Czurda Spirogyra fukienica Wei Spirogyra fuzhouensis H.-J.Hu Spirogyra gallica Petit Spirogyra gaterslebensis Reith Spirogyra gauthier-lievrae Kadlubowska Spirogyra gauthieri Gayral Spirogyra gharbensis Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra ghosei Singh Spirogyra gibberosa C.-C.Jao Spirogyra glabra Czurda Spirogyra globulispora Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra gobonensis Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra goetzei Schmidle Spirogyra gracilis Kützing Spirogyra granulata C.-C.Jao Spirogyra gratiana Transeau Spirogyra groenlandica Rosenvinge Spirogyra guangchowensis Zhu & Zhong Spirogyra guineense Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra gujaratensis Kamat Spirogyra gurdaspurensis Rattan Spirogyra haimenensis C.-C.Jao Spirogyra hartigii (Kützing) De Toni Spirogyra hassalii (Jenner) Petit Spirogyra hassallii (Jenner ex Hassall) P.Crouan & H.Crouan Spirogyra hatillensis Transeau Spirogyra heeriana Nägeli ex Kützing Spirogyra henanensis (L.J.Bi) L.J.Bi Spirogyra herbipolensis O.Bock & W.Bock Spirogyra heterospora Liu Spirogyra hoehnei O.Borge Spirogyra hoggarica (Gauthier-Lièvre) Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra hollandiae Taft Spirogyra hopeiensis C.-C.Jao Spirogyra hunanensis C.-C.Jao Spirogyra hungarica Langer Spirogyra hyalina Cleve Spirogyra hymerae Britton & B.H.Smith Spirogyra inconstans Collins Spirogyra incrassata Czurda Spirogyra indica Krieger Spirogyra inflata (Vaucher) Dumortier Spirogyra insignis (Hassall) Kützing Spirogyra insueta Zhu & Zhong Spirogyra intermedia Rabenhorst Spirogyra intorta C.-C.Jao Spirogyra ionia Wade Spirogyra irregularis Nägeli ex Kützing Spirogyra ivorensis Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra iyengarii Kadlubowska Spirogyra jaoensis Randhawa Spirogyra jaoi S.H.Ley Spirogyra jassiensis (Teodoresco) Czurda Spirogyra jatobae Transeau Spirogyra jogensis Iyengar Spirogyra jugalis (Dillwyn) Kützing Spirogyra juliana Stancheva, J.D.Hall, McCourt & Sheath Spirogyra kaffirita Transeau Spirogyra kamatii Kamat Spirogyra karnalae Randhawa Spirogyra kolae Hajdu Spirogyra koreana J.-H.Kim, Y.H.Kim, & I.K.Lee Spirogyra krubergii V.J.Poljanski Spirogyra kundaensis Singh Spirogyra kuusamoensis Hirn Spirogyra labbei Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra labyrinthica Transeau Spirogyra lacustris Czurda Spirogyra lagerheimii Wittrock Spirogyra laka Kützing Spirogyra lallandiae Taft Spirogyra lambertiana Transeau Spirogyra lamellata (Bhashyakarla Rao) Krieger Spirogyra lamellosa C.-C.Jao Spirogyra lapponica Lagerheim Spirogyra latireticulata Zheng & Ling Spirogyra latviensis Czurda Spirogyra laxa Kützing Spirogyra laxistrata C.-C.Jao Spirogyra lenticularis Transeau Spirogyra lentiformis L.J.Bi Spirogyra lians Transeau Spirogyra libyca Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra lismorensis Playfair Spirogyra lodziensis Kadlubowska Spirogyra longifissa Wei Spirogyra lubrica Kützing Spirogyra lucknowensis (Prasad & Dutta) Kadlubowska Spirogyra lushanensis L.C.Li Spirogyra luteospora Czurda Spirogyra lutetiana Petit Spirogyra lymerae Britton & Smith Spirogyra macrospora (C.B.Rao) Krieger Spirogyra maghrebiana Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra major Kützing Spirogyra majuscula Kützing Spirogyra malmeana Hirn Spirogyra manormae Randhawa Spirogyra maravillosa Transeau Spirogyra marchica H.Krieger Spirogyra margalefii Aboal & Llimona Spirogyra margaritata Wollny Spirogyra marocana Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra maxima (Hassall) Wittrock Spirogyra megaspora Transeau Spirogyra meinningensis Spirogyra meridionalis W.J.Zhu & Zhong Spirogyra miamiana Taft Spirogyra microdictyon C.-C.Jao & Hu Spirogyra microgranulata C.-C.Jao Spirogyra micropunctata Transeau Spirogyra microspora C.-C.Jao Spirogyra mienningensis L.-C.Li Spirogyra minor (Schmidle) Transeau Spirogyra minuticrassoidea Yamagishi Spirogyra minutifossa C.-C.Jao Spirogyra mirabilis (Hassall) Kützing Spirogyra miranda Kadlubowska Spirogyra mirifica Zheng & Ling Spirogyra mithalaensis A.M.Verma & B.Kumari Spirogyra moebii Transeau Spirogyra monodiana Gauthier-Lièvre Spirogyra montserrati Margalef Spirogyra multiconjugata N.C.Ferrer & E.J.Cáceres Spirogyra multiformis Kadlubowska Spirogyra multistrata Zheng & Ling Spirogyra multitrata Zheng & Ling Spirogyra mutabilis C.-C.Jao & H.J.Hu