Home / Greens / Colonial / Flagellated / Stephanosphaera
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Name derivation:
Classification:
Stephanosphaera Cohn 1852; the single species description is currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 20123). Order Chlamydomonadales; Family Haematococcaceae
Morphology:
Motile green algal colony of 2-16 cells composed of biflagellate elongated cells. Each cell has two equal flagella, an eyespot, several contractile vacuoles, and a very large cup-shaped chloroplast. Flagella are usually 2 times as long as the cell. Individual cells of the colony range from 9-13 um wide and 9-35 um long. They also lack cellulosic cell walls and are arranged in a mucilage envelope. In colonies of 16 cells they are organized in two groups of 8 stacked on top of one another. They Asexually reproduce by diving 4-8 daughter cells which then form their own colony.
Similar genera:
Habitat:
Freshwater, more common in richer waters
References:
Cohn, F. (1852). Über eine Gattung aus der Familie Volvocineen. Zeitschrift für wissenschaftliche Zoologie 4: 77-116, pl. VI: figs 1-21. Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 10 September 2013.