Landcare Research - Manaaki Whenua

Landcare-Research -Manaaki Whenua

Algal factsheet: Tetraspora-like colonies (Tetrasporaceae)


Diagnostic features

Colonial chlorophyte with thousands of approx. spherical cells, mostly in groups of two or especially four, set within a mucilaginous sac. Each cell contains a green, cup-shaped, parietal chloroplast, which in turn contains a pyrenoid and a red eyespot.  A pair of pseudoflagella emerge from each cell (difficult to see; needs high magnification). Attached to the streambed.

Typical habitats

Most common on the beds of slow-flowing streams and rivers

Notes

There are other genera matching this description

Classification

Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Chlorophyta
Class Chlorophyceae
Order Chlamydomonadales
Family Tetrasporaceae
Common name Green algae