Family: Colonial, usually with a gelatinous coat; 4 daughter cells are connected with filaments derived from their maternal cell wall; cell body spherical, elliptical or heart-shaped; a single chloroplast plate-like or cup-shaped containing a pyrenoid; asexual reproduction by autospore, sexual reproduction by fertilization of egg and sperm.
Genus: Cells are equal in size (Illustrations of The Japanese Fresh-water Algae, 1977). Planktonic; colony within a gelatinous sheath; cell body spherical, elliptical or pear-shaped; 4 daughter cells attached to a filament dichotomously radiating from the center of the colony; a single chloroplast cup-shaped, with a pyrenoid.

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D. pulchellum 20 samples cell spherical 3.5-7 μm φ 1998-2005	D. tetrachotomum 6 samples cell ovoid 3-8 μm φ 2000-2006	D. ehrenbergianum 6 samples cell ellipsoidal 6-13 μm 2001-2004	D. reniforme 21 samples cell reniform 3-8 μm 1998-2005
D. elegans 14 samples cell pear-shaped 4-7 μm 1999-2008	Dictyosphaerium ? cell spherical 4-6 μm Otto-Numa Ibaraki, 2002
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Dictyosphaerium ? 6.5 μm φ USA, 1999	Dictyosphaerium ? 3-5 μm φ Japan, 1997	Dictyosphaerium ? 5 μm Japan, 2000	Dictyosphaerium ? 4 μm φ Japan, 1998
Dictyosphaerium ? μm φ Kijioka Castle Ruin Kodama Saitama, 2003

Similar genus -->> Planktosphaeria; Westella;

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