What are all the morphological differences between Spirulina platensis and Spirulina maxima microscopically?
Comparison of an authentic
isolate of S. platensis from Chad and of S.
maxima from Mexico, grown in the laboratory
under identical conditions, showed that S. maxima
is characterized by a diameter of the helix of
50 to 60 p.m and pitch of 80 pm; values >35 to 50
p.m and 60 pm, respectively, were observed for
S. platensis. On the other hand, cell dimensions
were greater in S. platensis than in S. maxima
(diameter, 6 to 8 p.m in the former and 4 to 6 p.m
in the latter) (97). The cytoplasm of the smaller
species appears homogeneous, with no gas vacuoles
or inclusions and scarcely visible septa.
On the contrary, the larger species such as S.
platensis and S. maxima have a granular cytoplasm
containing gas vacuoles and easily visible
septa. (Ciferri 1983 Spirulina, the Edible Microorganism)
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