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Chlorophyceae: Chlorococcales: Scenedesmaceae

Scenedesmus maximus
(W. & G.S. West) Chodat var. maximus
Syn.: S. quadricauda (Turpin) Brébisson var. maximus W. & G.S. West
= Desmodesmus maximus (W. & G.S. West) E. Hegewald

Scenedesmus maximus Genus: Colonies of 4 (or 2, 8, 16) cells attached side by side, arranged linearly or zigzag; cell body elliptical or spindle or crescent in shape; terminal cells with spiny projections in many species; cell wall usually smooth, but in some species granulated or dented or ridged (Illustrations of The Japanese Fresh-water Algae, 1977).
Species: Cell body oblong with both ends rounded, 15-35 μm long, 4.5-5.8 (-9) μm wide; cells arranged in a linear series contacting nearly with their entire sides; outer cells with a long curved spine at each ends, sometimes inner cells with a long spine at one pole; cell wall smooth or covered with linear microgranules (Photomicrographs of the Freshwater Algae, vol. 17, 1996).

S= length of Spines; L=Body length; W=Body width (terminal cells)

->> Cell division


Scenedesmus maximus, cell body 35 μm long, 13 μm wide, spines 22 μm long, x 640, Chiba-Minato Park, Chiba City, Chiba Pref., Japan, July 2003 by Y. Tsukii
scale 31 μm scale 63 μm scale 94 μm; x 640
Scenedesmus maximus Scenedesmus maximus


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