Home / Chlorophyceae / Colonies / Non-flagellated / Hydrodictyon
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Name derivation:
“Water net” -- Water Hydro- net –diction
Classification:
Hydrodictyon Roth 1797 Order Sphaeropleales; Family Hydrodictyaceae
Morphology:
Mostly cylindrical cells form a net of cells; flagella have drawn into the individual cells after attaching to others. Cells are multinucleate, and each is connected at its end walls to two other cells, forming meshes of five or six cells. The colonies can be as large 4-6 cm wide and 1 m long. Large vacuoles take up most of the cellular space and push the cytoplasm around the periphery of the cell. Sexual and Asexual reproduction are both possible. Considered to be a nuisance species since its rapid reproduction can quickly overtake habitats. It is considered an invasive species in most areas.
Similar genera:
Habitat:
Widely distributed in temperate and tropical climates. Reside in ponds, lakes, and very slow rivers. Free-floating mats of often accumulate in vast quantities. These mats frequently blanket the surface and undergo sudden changes in buoyancy and causing them to disappear only to quickly reappear especially during calmer periods.
References:
Guiry, M.D. in Guiry, M.D. and G.M.Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 28 January 2013. Roth, A.W. 1797. Bemerkungen über das Studium der cryptogamischen Wassergewächs: [1]6-109 [Druckfehler].