A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
NIES 2677 records a marine culture collected in the Mediterranean Sea on 30 September 1999, at 25 metres depth. Its identity was checked through DNA analysis. The culture is clonal but non-axenic; this record does not establish a collecting country.
A 2016 study compared heme-pathway enzyme sequences and predicted their cellular destinations. Bigelowiella appeared to retain separate predicted plastid and mitochondrial-cytosolic pathways; the other algae studied relied on plastid-type synthesis, with only a cryptophyte remnant of the second pathway.
The authors inferred mainly red-algal origins for these enzymes despite the species’ green-derived plastid. They considered ancient endosymbiosis and extensive horizontal gene transfer, judging massive gene replacement by transfer less probable. These phylogenetic explanations and computational location predictions remain distinct from directly observed biochemical activity.
Origins & earliest records
NIES credits Moestrup; the original naming year is unverified.
Evidence & interpretation
Deposited cultures and primary research.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
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Family, evolution & connections
Taxonomic classification
A hierarchy of classified groups, not a chain of direct ancestors.
Source note: NIES assigns Cercozoa and Chlorarachniophyceae; genus and species are recorded here. Intermediate ranks remain unspecified.
- phylumCercozoa
- classChlorarachniophyceae
- genusBigelowiella
- speciesBigelowiella natans
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Institutional culture catalogueNIES cultureResearch access: 2026-10-07
- Primary researchHeme pathwaysResearch access: 2026-10-07
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.