Braarudosphaera bigelowii is a coastal coccolithophore in the fossil record going back 100 million years. The family Braarudosphaeraceae are single-celled coastal phytoplanktonic algae with calcareous scales with five-fold symmetry, called pentaliths. With 12 sides, it has a regular dodecahedral structure, approximately 10 micrometers across.[2]
Braarudosphaera bigelowii Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | |
(unranked): | |
Class: | |
Order: | Coccosphaerales
|
Family: | Braarudosphaeraceae
|
Genus: | Braarudosphaera
|
Species: | B. bigelowii
|
Binomial name | |
Braarudosphaera bigelowii (Gran & Braarud) Deflandre[1]
|
The genus name of Braarudosphaera is in honour of Trygve Braarud (1903–1985), who was a Norwegian botanist. He specialized in marine biology, and was affiliated with the University of Oslo.[3]