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Chlorophyceae: Chlorococcales: Micractiniaceae

 Micractinium pusillum
Fresenius var. pusillum

Micractinium pusillum Family: Unicellular or Colonial; cell body spherical, with one or more spiny projections; a single cup-shaped chloroplast with a pyrenoid; asexual reproduction by zoospore or autospore; sexual reproduction by fertilization between egg and sperm.
Genus: Colonial; cell body with 2 or more spiny hairs (Illustrations of The Japanese Fresh-water Algae, 1977).
Species:
Similar genus --> Golenkinia; Franceia; Acanthosphaera;

Micractinium pusillum, cell body spherical in shape 5-8 μm in diam., spines up to 17 μm long, 1 μm wide, x 640, Yamada O-ike (large pond), Shinrin-koen (Musashi Kyuryo National Forest Park), Namegawa town, Saitama Pref., Japan, March 27, 2005 by Y. Tsukii
scale 31 μm scale 63 μm scale 94 μm; x 640
Micractinium

Micractinium pussillum Fresenius var. elegans G. M. Smith: a colony of 4-32 spherical cells, cell body 3-5 μm diam., with 2-3 needle-like projections 20-30 μm long, a single cup-shaped chloroplast with a pyrenoid (Illustrations of The Japanese Fresh-water Algae, 1977).

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