vs Common corncockle

Chrysosphaerella coronacircumspina compared with Agrostemma githago

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while Common corncockle is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Common corncockle
Kingdom	Chromista (Chromista)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Chrysophyceae (Chrysophyceae)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Ochromonadales (Ochromonadales)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Paraphysomonadaceae	Caryophyllaceae
Genus	Chrysosphaerella	Agrostemma
Species	Chrysosphaerella coronacircumspina	Agrostemma githago

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Common corncockle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

Common corncockle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho), Asia (7 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chrysosphaerella coronacircumspina is a colonial chrysophyte alga in the genus Chrysosphaerella, family Chromulinaceae. Its compound specific epithet corona-circumspina (Latin: crown of surrounding spines) references the distinctive arrangement of silica spines forming a ring or crown around each cell in the colony. Each cell in a Chrysosphaerella colony bears both flat siliceous scales and long, projecting spines, with the spine arrangement being species-specific and taxonomically diagnostic. The colonial organization is held together by organic matrix material, creating a spherical or semi-spherical aggregate visible under light microscopy. C. coronacircumspina is found in freshwater phytoplankton communities in Scandinavia, consistent with the broader distribution of Chrysosphaerella in cold-temperate and subarctic lakes. The silica structures produced by Chrysosphaerella cells are deposited in lake sediments upon cell death, creating millennial-scale paleoenvironmental archives. Chrysophytes are sensitive to lake acidification, nutrients, and temperature, making them useful climate proxies in paleolimnological research. The species has not been assessed for conservation status by the IUCN and is listed as Not Evaluated.

Common corncockle

<em>Agrostemma githago</em>, commonly known as common corncockle, is an annual flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Once a widespread weed of cereal crops across Europe, Asia, and beyond, this species is now Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the dramatic decline caused by modern agricultural practices, particularly improved grain cleaning and herbicide use. Corncockle is a tall, slender plant covered in silky white hairs, bearing large, solitary pink to purple flowers with distinctive dark veining. Its seeds contain toxic saponin compounds called githagins, which historically contaminated grain supplies. The species now survives primarily in wildflower conservation areas, seed banks, and traditional farmland conservation schemes. It typically grows in open, disturbed arable soils with full sun exposure. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.