The chloroplast pigments of the algal classes Eustigmatophyceae and Xanthophyceae. II. Xanthophyceae

The chloroplast pigments of Pleurochloris meiringensis Vischer, Mischococcus sphaerocephalus Vischer and Tribonema aequale Pascher have been analysed by a variety of chromatographic methods. There are significant differences between these xanthophycean algae and the eustigmatophycean algae formerly classified with them. In particular the former contain diadinoxanthin as the major xanthophyll whereas diadinoxanthin is absent from the latter and violaxanthin occurs as the major xanthophyll pigment. The other pigments of the Xanthophyceae sensu stricto include chlorophyll a, β-carotene, vaucheriaxanthin-ester, heteroxanthin, diatoxanthin, cryptoxanthin epoxide and a neoxanthin-like pigment.